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PENNSYLVANIA 

AND ITS 

PUBLIC MEN 

BY 

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PENNSYLVANIA 



AND ITS 




JBLIC MEN 



BY 

SAM HUDSON 

CONTAINING 

A HISrOl* OF HIS LIFE AND THF. MKN HK HAS MF.T 




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philadp:lphia, lyuy 



Copyright, 1909 

BY 

Hudson &: Joseph 

OCT 2 ' iir 



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PREFACE 



Others brought the thought of this vohuuc 
to me. The suggestion of a reminisccntial his- 
tory of my thirty-eight years in the journal- 
retic and political harness had been made be- 
fore and discarded, but in view of my retire- 
ment in 1909 to exchange for the world's up- 
roar and strife the calm and independent life, 
as I trust, of "The Golden Farmer," causecl 
me to look with favor upon this latest propo- 
sition. The "Politics of Pennsylvania and its 
Public Men" has been written not with any 
idea of its historical value or of elbowing a 
place as a man of letters. Rather was it the 
heart's desire to carry into my .-\rcadian exile 
the familiar faces and brief life sketches of 
staunch friends and pleasing acquaintances, 
and to leave in return a little volume that 
those who knew me best and with whom I 
have passed sunshineful hours may be occa- 
sionally reminded from their library book 
shelves that I once had a place in their asso- 
ciations, their thoughts, and possibly in their 
esteem. The success of the book has been a 
marvel to me, and it is a revelation to me, the 
knowledge that I possess so many friends. It 
will be perceived that I have been neither a 
scavanger or a muck raker. I have purposely 
avoided many stories of which I have ken ; 
stories of political corruption and scandal 
which would have invested the book with a 
sensational value, since I find it not in my 
heart to give pain to the living or bring <lis- 
honor upon the dead. I have striven more to 
amuse an idle hour and to help a friend recall 
an event with which he may have been identi- 
fied. If there is anything of self-praise of 
the kindly host who figure in this work, it is 
I upon whom the judgment should fall, since 
many have not had proofs of their sketches 
submitted to them, and this through malice 
aforethought of mine. 

Philadelphia. 1909. 




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A LOOK BACK TO THE CRADLE 



Within tlie siglit of the shiinnierin.y; sea ami 
the roar of its fretful surf. I was born at Long 
Branch, Xew Jersey, on the 27th of August. 
1851. My father, Samuel ^iickIe Hudson, 
was at the time principal of the public school. 

Upon my father's side was good Quaker 
stock. My grandfather, Samuel, was a native 
of Burlington County. Xew Jersey, while my 
grandmother was a Townsend of Tidewater, 
\'irginia. 

My grandfather lived his life at Wood- 
bury. Xew Jersey, where he carried on a 
carpentry and pump-making business. He 
was a singularly silent man. an orthodox 
Quaker, and died from a cancer of the mouth 
due to excessive smoking, his case being 
parallel to that which ended the life of Gen- 
eral U. S. Grant. Upon my mother's side my 
grandfather, Elias Jester, came from the 
well-known family of that name, of Delaware. 
He came to Philadelphia when a young man, 
and obtained employment in a drygoods store. 
He subsequently entered into business, and 
when T was a mere lad he conducted a large 
establishment on South Street opposite Pass- 
yunk -Avenue, under the firm name of Jester 
& Burbage. He subsequently erected a store 
and dwelling at 11 28 Pine Street, where he 
continued in business until his death. He 
was what is known as a "Shouting Metho- 
dist." My grandmother Jester was a Pennsyl- 
vanian. ^ly father renounced the Quakers 
and was "read out of meeting" at the \\'oo<l- 
bury Quarterly. -As a young man he saved 
money to educate himself at Pennington 
Seminary, and soon after his marriage he 
entered the ministry in the Xew Jersey M. E. 
Conference. He was first stationed at 
Bridgeton. Xew Jersey, where my mother 
died when I was eighteen months old. 

Of course. I never knew my mother. T 
might say. but she is described as a person 
of extraordinarily lovable and amiable dispo- 
sition, a true Christian, and a devoted wife 
and mother. 

What little success in life that has come 
to me I have largely attributed to her watch- 
fulness in Heaven over me and to her guard- 
ianship of iTiy interests, ^^y faith in her is 
as deep rooted and absolute as niv respect for 
God. 

My father, in my youthful days, was what 
is termed "a circuit rider." having the charge 
of two or three scattered churches in South- 



cm .\ew Jersey. He would move to a new 
appointment every two years. I remember 
the great comet of 1859. We were then liv- 
ing at Pittslown. now named Elmer, and how 
it terrified me ! It was claimed that it fore- 
told the Civil War. .\t the outbreak of the 
war we lived at Bridgeport, and I can recall 
the anxiety of my father and the great excite- 
ment the firing on Fort Sumter caused. 

During the war I made many visits to my 
grandfather Jester, living at 1 128 Pine Street, 
i'liiladelphia. I used to witness the drilling 
of the recruits in the schoolyard nearby, the 
feeding of the soldiers from the Eastern 
States at the famous Cooper Shop, and the 
Refreshment Saloon, and their entraining in 
freight cars on Washington .\venue for trans- 
])ortation to the .South. I had a relative by 
the name of Thornton who kept a hotel on 
Washington Avenue near the Xavy Yard, and 
I used to frequently visit him during the war 
and enjoy the exciting scenes and the rush 
and bustle of the neighborhood. I remem- 
ber my grandfather introducing me to Major 
Henry as the latter was passing the store on 
Pine .Street, as he did every weekday morn- 
ing, on his way to the Mayor's office. W'e 
struck up quite an acquaintance, and he 
woidd frequently take me by the hand and 
walk me several blocks, talking in a way that 
would make me laugh. My interest in him 
possibly was quickened by the fact that on 
these occasions he would stop and give me a 
five-cent fractional note or "shin pTaster" of 
war times. In the "fifties." when my father 
was pastor of the church at Cape May, the 
railroad had not yet been built. A steamboat 
ran between the resort and Philadelphia. I 
recall that my father and I were passengers 
on this boat, having paid a visit to Philadcl- 
i)hia. when a storm was encountered on the 
Delaware Bay. It increased in violence, and 
it was the opinion of both the frantic pas- 
sengers and the crew that the craft would 
founder. My father gathered the people in 
the saloon and. asking all to kneel, fervently 
prayed to God to succor the imperiled steamer 
and spare our lives. .Soon after the violence 
of the storm abated, and the steamboat was 
saved. 

T spent much time on the farm of a favorite 
aunt at Unionvillc. Xew Jersey, and there had 
lircd in me a true love for the soil and a 
farmer's free and healthv life. When mv 



Pcinisyii'ania and Its Public Men. 



father preached at Pennsville, I hired out to 
the tenant of the Government Farm at Finn's 
Point on the river opposite Fort Delaware, 
and fell in love with a water front farm, de- 
termining; to have one of my own before I 
died. I have made good that promise to my- 
self, and am now the owner of one that com- 
mands one of the finest water and historic 
views in America at the mouth of the James 
River in the Old Dominion. 

I was defeated in my attempt to enlist in 
the I2th New Jersey Volunteers as a drum- 
mer boy. while it was being organized at 
Woodbury. I wanted to be a soldier, as an 
ancestor of mine had been in the Revolution, 
he taking part in the Batt'e of Red Bank, and 
then going home to his farm to be kicked to 
death by a stallion. 

Apart from the country schools. I was edu- 
cated at Dr. Smiley"s Institute at Salem, New 
Jersey, and at Pennington Seminary. There 
have been three generations of us Hudsons 
students at Pennington: my father, myself, 
and my daughter, Mabel. 

Dr. John O'Hanlon, President of the Insti- 
tution, at a commencement exercise, accorded 
my family this rather rare distinction. My 
expenses at Pennington were paid by my 
grandfather. Elias Jester, and were deducted 
from the share he left me of his estate on 
account of my mother. 

One of the most enjoyable years of mv 
boyhood days was the one I spent on the 
Government Farm at Finn's Point on the 
Delaware River. The saddest recollection I 
have of it related to the neglected gravevard 
on the farm in which had been buried in 
trenches the Confederate prisoners who had 
died in Fort Delaware, which stands directly 
opposite the farm, during the Civil War. The 
storms and the tides had eaten into the nlace 
of sepulchre, washing out the bones and skele- 
tons of the poor fellows whose identities had 
been lost. It was a favorite resort for the 
dogs of the neighborhood, they going there 
for the human bones. I have spent hours with 
a spade covering up the exposed remains and 
protecting them to the best of mv ability. 
Some years thereafter the ladies of New Cas- 
tle were moved to take up this matter of no- 
torious and shameful neglect, and put this 
graveyard in proper shape. 

After I had spent a year at Dr. Smiley's 
Institute at Salem (and I will add that the 
doctor, who was a retired Presbyterian clergy- 
man, was one of the most practical and thor- 
ough educators I have ever received instruc- 
tion from) my father, who was pastor of the 
church at Pennsville, got me the position of 
teacher of the township school. Although I 
was very young and had scholars far older 
than myself, the school was conducted with 



success. But I must admit it was very wear- 
ing on me. One of my boyish pranks at 
Pennington got me into trouble. There came 
a Sunday when I dodged the services at the 
village church. The spirit of mischief in- 
duced me, shortly before the church services 
were over, to ring the big bell in the cupola 
of the seminary. This was taken to be an 
alarm of fire, and the villagers assembled and 
the congregation was hastily dismissed. If I 
was hunting for a sensation I certainly got 
one. Dr. O'Hanlon instituted an investigation 
and every male student's whereabouts at the 
time the bell w-as rung was inquired into. 

I shall never forget the summons I received 
to visit the President's office. Looking me 
over sternly, he said : "Mr. Hudson, we can 
account for every student at the time that bell 
was rung but you. You might as well con- 
fess and save yourself additional trouble." 

"Yes. doctor, I rang the bell," was my re- 
ply. His verdict was that I should be sus- 
pended for three weeks, which was a severe 
punishment. I was directed to prepare to go 
home the next morning. Now, the boy who 
carried the doctor's mail to the post-office was 
a chum of mine, and deeply sympathized with 
me. I was determined not to go home, as I 
dreaded the reproaches of my father and my 
grandfather particularly. I induced this boy 
to give to me the letter which Dr. O'Hanlon 
had w-ritten to my father, apprising him of my 
misconduct and sentence. Bidding all my 
friends good-bye, I started off, but instead of 
taking the stage for Trenton to go home, I 
made a detour of the village and then struck 
off on the turnpike leading to Lambertville. 

When I had walked about five miles I came 
to a farm house that "looked good to me," and 
I boldly approached the farmer and asked for 
a job. I told him I was familiar with farm 
work. He was badly in need of a hand, as it 
was crop planting time, and I went to work, 
enjoying myself thoroughly. The evenings 
and noontimes I devoted to my studies. 

^^'hen the period of my sentence had ex- 
pired I frankly told the farmer who I was and 
the circumstances under which I was there. 

"Well. I'll be hornswagled." was the reply. 
He promised to keep the affair a secret and 
we parted with mutual regret. 

My return to the seminary was a happv one, 
Dr. O'Hanlon welcoming me and asking after 
my father. 

It was the intention to send me to Dickin- 
son College after graduating at Pennington 
Seminary, but the fates ordained otherwise. 
Always a great reader and an ardent admirer 
of Horace Greeley from reading the New York 
weekly Tribune, the newspaper microbe early 
found lodgment in my "department of intel- 
lectual activity." I determined to become a 



rl Look Uack to the Cradle. 



newspaper man. My opportunity for such 
came to mc unexpectedly while on my third 
year at the seminary. The Alpha and Omcsja 
FJterary Society, of which I was a member, 
gave an entertainment. I was the editor of 
its newspaper, w^hich was confined to man- 
uscript, we beingf too impecunious for the dis- 
tinction of putting it into type. 

The entertainment was given in the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Cliurcli, and it was crowded. 
I was down on the jjrogram to read our news- 
paper, which was filled with skits and local 
hits, and it was a great success. At the con- 
clusion of the affair I was sought out by an 
elderly man with a little fat belly and a kindly 
face. He warmly congratulated me, and at 
once won my confidence. He said my paper 
had greatly pleased him, and that my mission 
in life was to be a newspaper man; that I had 
the inborn instincts of one and possfessed a 
wit that would carry me to distinction in the 
profession. He inquired minutely into my 
affairs, and then said he was Charley Jay, the 
editor of the Trenton Evening Sentinel. He 
offered me a position on his paper at five 
dollars per week, and promised that'my news- 
paper education would be his care. Here 
was a glimpse of the earthly heaven, and one 
of w-hich I had fondly dreamed. It was but 
the matter of an instant for me to close the 
deal. 

I promised to report at his ofiice on the 
following Monday. I knew that my father 
and my grandfather wtiuld not listen to the 
proposition, so I determined to leave the semi- 
nary clandestinely. Smuggling my trunk out 
and giving it in charsre of a village character 
known as "Heavy Dick," who had a little 
home where he sold cider to the students and 
where they went to smoke surreptitiously, I 
started off on the following Monday morning 
and walked to Trenton. 

Charley Jay, as an editor, was the "Rrick" 
Pomcroy of Xcw Jersey. He had just started 
his paper on capital that had been provided 
by Governor Ward, and it was the first even- 
ing paper to be established at the State capi- 
tal. I found a hoarding house, paying S4.50 
per week, and fifty cents for my washing, and 
had nothing left for spending money. This 
did not dampen my enthusiasm in the least. 
and I took to the business as a duck takes 
to water. Mr. Jay treated me as a father, 
taking great pains with me. I went to the 
case and in a few months could "stick type" 
and set up my ow-n copy. In my reports of 
the Mayor's police court I attempted to be 
funny and they soon became the "talk of the 
town." .\ dollar a week was added to mv 
salary, and I was happy. 

My disappearance from the seminary was 
reported to my father, and it was not for 



three months that he was able to locate me. 
He came to Trenton and, after a talk with 
Mr. Jay, concluded that I had found my true 
vocation. 

Charley Jay was an editor of a type tliat 
has passed away. In his den on the mantle- 
piece always stood a bottle of whiskey and a 
tumbler. By his side was a clay pipe of enor- 
mous bowl that had been presented to him by 
the potters, and which he smoked when not 
chewing tobacco and scjuirting the juice on 
a pile of exchanges on the floor. Hanging 
from a nail on the desk was a sword, while on 
the desk within reach was a loaded revolver. 
He was prepared thus for a killing. 

The Sentinel office was the resort of the 
leading Republican politicians of the county, 
as well as of the State. Gen. George M. Rob- 
inson, afterward President Grant's Secretary 
of the Xavy. was a frequent visitor and a 
staunch friend of mine. I regarded him as 
a great man, which he truly was. Profoundly 
learned in the law, he knew nothing of prac- 
tical politics or the value of money. Presi- 
dent Grant made the mistake of making him 
Xaval .Secretary, in which ^losition he w-as 
the instrument of designing and dishonest 
men, instead of .Xttorney-General of the 
United States. I was directed to "write up" 
the Cracker Bakery of the famous Adam 
Exton. which pleased the old man so well 
that he gave me two dollars. That was the 
first graluitv I had ever received, and I took 
it to Mr. Jay, who told me to keep it. 

This was in i<S7o-i, and the Franco-Prus- 
sian War was then being fought. Having a 
desire to see Xew York City, I secured a rail- 
road pass from Mr, Jay. The day I made 
the trip was memorable, as it marked the sur- 
render of the French at Sedan and Xew York 
was in a ferment. Early in the evening I 
entered the old Atlantic Garden on the Bow- 
ery and sat down to eat a Dutch lunch. The 
place was filled with Germans. Without 
warning there came a sudden inrush of 
Frenchmen who attacked the Germans, and 
there w-as a battle royal, the latter defending 
themselves w'ith chairs or anything they could 
lay their hands on. Shots were fired, and in 
the melee I crawled under a big table and re- 
mained there until the police arrived. 

The Evening Sentinel, notwithstanding its 
vigorous and virile editorship, did not thrive, 
and Gfuernor Warfl wearied of putting up 
the deficit, so that the paper was put on the 
market for sale. It was purchased by a well- 
known banker of Trenton, named Tacob 
Freece, who was better known as "Jerusalem" 
Freece, he having written a book on [eru- 
salem. .After nine months' apprenticeship I 
found myself out of a job. This came to me 
as a crushing blow. I had managed to save 



8 



Pcinisyk'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



a little money, antl was fired with Horace 
Greeley's advice to young men of "Go \\'est." 
John Vanote had a short time previously left 
the editorship of the Trenton Gazette and 
gone to the Pittsburg Gazette. 1 determined 
to make a strike for Chicago, if Mr. \'anote 
could not find me a "sit" in Pittsburg. Reach- 
ing the "smoky city"' I at once called on my 
friend in the editorial rooms of the Gazette. 
In those days but few reporters were em- 
ployed on newspapers, and there were no 
space men outside of New York or Chicago. 
At the time there was no vacancy on any of 
the Pittsburg dailies. Mr. Vanote making in- 





Samuel Hudson. 1st. 

qu'iries for me : but he told me to wait a 
little while, as he was sure that something 
would turn up. And it did for me. A room- 
mate at the boardinghouse where I stopped 
robbed me of an overcoat and all my money 
but a dollar. And it was a severe winter, too. 
In despair I decided to make for Chicago 
where there were more and greater papers 
and better opportunities, as I believed. I got 
on a train and was speeded westward, riding 
as far as my dollar would take me. which was 
Beaver Falls. I then became "a knight of 
the road," taking to the ties. That night I 
came to a little town by the railroad and, 
being foot-sore and hungry, I boldly went to 
the village tavern and told my plight to the 
landlord, showing him strong letters of rec- 



ommendation that had been given me by 
Charley Jay and editor John \anote. He was 
a kind-hearted man and. although coming in 
constant contact with tramps and needy men, 
living as he did on a great trunk line, he be- 
friended me with supper, a bed and break- 
fast. My youth, I suppose, also appealed to 
him. The next morning I pushed on, and 
late in the afternoon reached Salem, Ohio. 
I had no money left and I was hungry, and 
finding that a weekly paper was printed there, 
I applied to its editor for a job. The best 
he could do for me was to give me fifty cents 
and a railroad pass to the next big town, 
which was Alliance. This relieved my hun- 
ger and I boarded the train filled with fore- 
bodings as to what awaited me at the end 
of the journey, as night was coming on and 
it began to snow heavily. When the train 
reached Alliance I was the only passenger 
who got off, and a most singular incident then 
happened to me, and one in which I recog- 
nized the hand of Providence. I had no 
sooner touched the station platform when I 
was approached by a young man from out 
the gloom, who inquired, "You came from 
.Salem?" "Yes," I replied. "Then come w-ith 
me," said he. He led the way, I following, 
mystified as to the business in hand, but re- 
solved to pursue the adventure to the end. In 
the blinding snowstorm, which had now 
reached the proportions of a blizzard, we 
trudged along the plank walk, then typical 
of western towns, and not a word was spoken. 

Finally we ai-rived at a roomy cottage, 
from the windows of which shone a hospitable 
light, telling of comfort and warmth and joy 
within. 

Entering a large room where a belated 
supper table was spread and the family about 
it. the cheery voice of an attractive woman 
greeted us. It was addressed to me, and it 
said, "We had expected you on an earlier 
train." The mystery was really deepening, 
although it appeared to me that I was cer- 
tainly a boy of destiny, since everybody 
seemed satisfied. Never had I heard a .storm 
rage angrier, and how glad I was to be rmder 
that kindly roof. A man whom I took to be 
a minister, sat at the table's head, but I 
quickly realized that the master there was the 
wife. The fact that it was evidently the 
household of a minister carried cheer to my 
heart, since I was confident that after the ex- 
planation I was determined to make, since I 
could not allow myself to remain under a 
false guise, that all would be well with me, 
at least while the storm lasted. The supper 
ended, I sought the lady and said, "Do you 
think there can be any mi.stake as regards 
myself?" 

"Why, you are a printer and you came from 



./ Look Back to flic Cradle. 



Salem." "Vcs, I am a primer and I came 
from Salem."' 

'"Well, we expected you to-day and you are 
to go to work to-morrow morning."' 

I then learned that the lady was the owner 
and the editorcss of the .Alliance Monitor; 
that her husband was a Methodist minister 
and a presiding Elder, whose church duties 
kept him away from home almost continu- 
ously. I then confessed to the lady that while 
I was something of a printer, and that I had 
come from Salem, I was not the person she 
had expected. I then told her that my father 
was a distinguished ^fethodist clergyman, and 
showed my letters of recommendation. All 
this pleased her greatly. 

"Why, you are the very fellow I have been 
looking for dropped down from the skies, as 
it were." 

She then informed me that she was engaged 
in temperance work, besides conducting her 
newspaper business, and was a traveling lec- 
turess. 

"I can make you tremendously useful to 
me." was her comment. "Vou can assist me 
in editing the Monitor and looking after 
affairs in the office, while I also need a pri- 
vate secretary to whom I can dictate my lec- 
tures." 

I had a smattering of short-hand writing. 
We then arranged the financial terms, and I 
was installed as a member of the family. The 
lady was Mlrs. McClellan Brown, who. thirty 
years ago, had a great reputation in the tem- 
perance field of the middle west. A peaceful 
sleep I enjoyed that night, the first since I 
had left Trenton. I took hold of the new 
work, and can say that I did make myself 
extremely useful to Mrs. Brown. I relieved 
her largely of her labor on the weekly local 
newspaper ; I answered much of a large 
correspondence: I took at dictation the ser- 
mons of the Rev. Mr. Brown and the tem- 
perance lectures of !Mrs. Brown, and was a 
busy boy. 

The months that I remained with this Chris- 
tian woman in that town were happy ones, 
and the moral influence with which I was sur- 
rounded was beneficial to me at that age. 

But gradually the desire to return to the 
East and to my kindred took possession of 
me. I believed I had eot enough of the so- 
called West, and said, "To the devil with Hor- 
ace Greeley and his advice."' In the meantime 
I had been sending my saved money to my 
grandfather Jester, to put at interest for me. 
Einally. the home idea became so strong I 
could no longer resist it. and with regret I 
acquainted Mrs. Brown with it and informed 
her of my determination to return East. 

"And you have become indispensable to me." 
said she, and she fairlv cried over it. She 



offered me all sorts of inducements to remain, 
but finally realizing that it was a case of genu- 
ine home-sickness, allowed me to depart. I met 
her once after that, in Philadelphia, where 
she had come to attend a national temperance 
gathering. In all my career I never encoun- 
tered a bi'ighter or more hustling woman, who 
blended with unmistakable talent and business 
ability rare Christian graces and thoughtful- 
ncss for others. Upon my return to the land 
of my birth I was impelled to scratch for my 
own living. I started out as a canvasser 
among the Jersey farmers for the New York 
weeklv Tribune, meeting only partial success. 
I then went to Thiladelijliia and succeeded in 
securing a position as conductor on the Chest- 
nut and Walnut Street Railway. While thus 
engaged I dabbled in poetry and wrote topical 
verses for the Sunday Times of Col. John II. 
Taggart. They made quite a hit. and one 
day. to my amazement, I received a letter 
from the editor of the Times requesting me 
to call at his ofiice, which was then at the 
corner of Third and Dock Streets. The am- 
bition to become a newspaper man was still 
passionate, and this summons I believed was 
to again open the door to newspaperdom to 
me. Calling upon Colonel Taggart I found 
him a big. bluff, plain-spoken man, who was 
kindly disposed and who ciuestioned me as to 
my history. I told him of my experiences on 
the Trenton Evening Sentinel and the .\lli- 
ance, Ohio. Monitor. He then pleased me by 
declaring that I had the newspaper instinct 
and that I should follow ni}' true missi<in in 
life. He said he was interested in me, and 
that he would use his influence to secure me 
a position as a reporter on a daily newspaper. 
He would help along, he added, by giving me 
a little work on the Times, which was then 
struggling for existence and circulation. He 
had a talk with W'. W. Harding, proprietor 
of the Inquirer, and with Charles W, War- 
burton, of the Evening Telegraph. 

It was finally decided between the three 
that T should be given a chance, and as the 
Inquirer needed a cub reporter, I became at- 
tached to that paper, which was then pub- 
lished at Third and Chestnut Streets. My 
salary was to be six dollars per week, which 
was considerably less than I was receiving 
from the street car company, but that didn"t 
count with me. and I threw up the job with- 
out regret. At this time Joseph Robinson, 
city editor of the Inquirer, held a contract to 
furnish the local news for a stipulated weekly 
sum. and be had to be consulted as to my 
services. This was satisfactorily arranged, 
and I then became a reporter on the paper. 
There were but four of us then on the local 
staff of the Inquirer, which now appears com- 
ical in comparison to the small army of re- 



U) 



Pciiiisxlz'aiiia and Its Public I\Icu. 



porters and spacemen who are now found on 
the various dailies of the city. 

It was an event for a reporter to make his 
debut, and the talk of the local newspaper 
world. I had a rough and thorny path to 
travel. The older ones in the business ap- 
peared to resent the intrusion of a tender- 
foot, and I came in for a system of hazing 
and snubs that for a time robbed the calling 
of much of its glamour and pleasures. Mayor 
Stokley had just then superseded Mayor Dan- 
iel M. Fox, Democrat, and the city had passed 
into the control of the Republicans. This de- 
feat of the Democrats, I learned, had been 
brought about largely by the pre-concerted 
action of the Republican newspapers through 
their violent assaults upon Mayor Fox's po- 
lice. They made the force odious in the eyes 
of the people by magnifying their shortcom- 
ings and outrageously lying about them. 
There is no doubt there were some bad char- 
acters and thugs in the police uniform, and 
"hold-ups." assaults, robberies, big burglaries, 
and the cracking of financial institutions, were 
too prevalent. 

Boys were not employed as reporters in 
those days, and I was the youngest of them 
all. There was a freemasonry among them, 
too, into which I was not permitted to enter 
until I had won my spurs. With the excep- 
tion of Joseph Robinson, who is still with the 
Inquirer, E. G. O. Fisher, who reports for 
CTerman papers, E. J. Swartz and William C. 
Ruch of the Evening Telegraph, there is not 
one who is now engaged in active newspaper 
work who was in it when I entered the Phil- 
adelphia field. They were a bright lot of 
fellows in those halcyon days, splendid de- 
scriptive writers, able amateur detectives, 
thorough Bohemians, wits, and hard drinkers : 
convivial habits sent many of them to a pre- 
mature grave. There being so few newspaper 
men in the city, their company was courted 
and their friendship respected. They enjoyed 
the confidence of men in authority and of the 
politicians, and these confidences were never 
betrayed. 

The Republican leaders, \Mlliam R. Leeds, 
John L. Hill. Ham Disston, Dave and Peter 
Lane, P. A. B. Weidener, and others, with the 
exception of James McManes, daily met at 
Jerry Walker's wine store on Walnut Street 
to talk politics and discuss Walker's cham- 
pagne, and we were always welcome there. 
The policy backers had their daily rendez- 
vous at a buffet kept by a Frenchman at the 
corner of Seventh and Sansom Streets, and 
there was a "cold bottle" for us there every 
day if we would drop in. 

One of the pleasantest recollections of that 
time was a little affair that came off each 
week-day morning at Lauber's. The cele- 



brated restaurateur would arrive at his estab- 
lishment promptly at ii o'clock and sit dow-n 
at breakfast. A half a dozen of us would 
usually stroll in and join the kindly old man 
as his guests, and our score would only be 
the drinks we would order. This custom was 
kept up until Mr. Lauber moved to Library 
Street. 

I was assigned to the police and the Cor- 
oner. The Mayor's office and police head- 
quarters at Fifth and Chestnut Streets was 
the seat of news. 

It was the custom then for the morning 
paper reporters to knock off at midnight, and 
no matter what might occur between that hour 
and the hour of going to press, there was no 
certainty that it would appear as news the 
next morning. At a rare interval one paper 
would scoop another with a late piece of local 
news, and then there would be great won- 
derment in the other offices as to how they 
had got it. The attempt to murder Squire 
McMullen was obtained by the Inquirer by 
accident. I was boarding at Fifth and Pine 
Streets and had gone to bed when, about I 
o'clock, I was awakened by a great conflagra- 
tion. It looked as though South Philadelphia 
was burning down. I jumped into a new suit 
of clothes that I had got that day, and run- 
ning to a hackstand at Fifth and Chestnut 
Streets, and learning where the fire was, 
hastened to it in a cab. Brown's great textile 
mills on Washington Avenue were on fire. 
I secured the general details and was about to 
leave when a section of hose bursted and I 
was drenched. ■ This didn't dampen my en- 
thusiasm, however, and the "cabby" hurried 
me to the Inquirer office. Walter Bell, of 
"Last Man Association" fame, the foreman, 
was then making up the last news page. 

My appearance in the office gave him a 
shock, but he reluctantly consented to run a 
half a column account of the fire, double 
leaded, he expressing the opinion that such 
enterprise as I had displayed was calculated 
to get nie into trouble, and it did. 

The Inquirer scored a beat on the fire, as 
the other papers had no one to send for it. 
The next morning when I attempted to put 
on my new suit I discovered to my horror 
that it was as red as though it had been 
painted. The wetting I had received at the 
fire had caused the dye to run. 

I had got the suit from Rockhill & Wilson's 
on an advertising order from W. W. Hard- 
ing. I showed him the coat, but he declined 
to make good. I never forgave him for that. 
But that was only a part of the reward for 
my enterprise. Joe Robinson, the city editor, 
in view of this big fire occurring at the time 
it did, directed me to remain on duty at the 
Central Station until 2 A.M. The Inquirer 



A Look Back to flic Cradle. 



11 



having taken such an advanced step, the other 
papers were compelled to protect themselves, 
and thus I became for the time very unpopu- 
lar with the brethren of the lead pencil. They 
took revenge by bestowing upon me the nick- 
name of "The Spanish Hawk," Spanish in 
honor of my State and hawk because nothing 
in the shape of news seemed to escape me. 

In the life of the nocturnal reporter there is 
much of color, and much that is amusing and 
much that is tragic. After i o'clock one 
morning a report reached the Inquirer office 
that Damon V. Kilgore, the noted lawyer, was 
dead. I was dispatched in a hack to his home 
in West Philadelphia to "run it out." 

Ringing the bell several times I brought a 
head out of the second-story window. Throw- 
ing as much sympathy into my voice as pos- 
sible, I ventured to inquire if the report was 
true. Then in thunderous tones came the 
reply: "Vou go back and tell Bill Harding 
that Damon Y. Kilgore is the damnedest live- 
liest corpse in Philadelphia," and the window 
was shut with a bang. This was Damon him- 
self. 

Col. Thomas A. Scott, the great Presirlent 
of the Pennsylvania Railroad, lay at the point 
of death. It was the province of the reporters 
to watch for his dissolution each morning 
until 2 o'clock, and this was my job. We 
made an arrangement with the physician that 
when death came to the magnate, he would 
place a lamp at a window of the second-story 
front room. For nearly a week we main- 
tained this death watch on South Rittenhouse 
Square, and finally one morning, about half- 
past one, the lamp appeared in the window, 
and that is how the world knew the next 
morning that the head of the Pennsylvania 
Railroad .System was dead. 

The Inquirer, under W. W. Harding, was 
the lay organ of the Protestant Episcopal 
Diocese, and it printed much church news. 
One Saturday Mr. Harding called me into his 
office and said he desired me to report a 
sermon of special significance that the cele- 
brated divine, the Rev. Phillips Brooks, was 
to preach at the Church of the Epiphany on 
Sunday morning. He gave me particular 
directions to inake as full a report of it as 
possible. 

I took my seat in the gallery of the church, 
and with pen and paper was prepared for 
business. I was then a pretty fair short-hand 
man, but I had never heard Mr. Brooks. 
He began his discourse and in a couple of 
seconds I was lost. In all my experience 
I had never heard mortal man talk so fast. 
The words poured out of him like a Xiagara. 
I couldn't even make anything of a report of 
what he said in long-hand, and I was excep- 
tionally rapid at that. I had been told that 



he was an extemporaneous speaker, and I was 
in despair, since I knew I had not his manu- 
script to fall back ujion. With a heavy heart 
I left the church and, walking down \\'alnut 
Street, a happy thought struck me. I knew 
the Librarian of the Mercantile Library, and 
going to his house itnposed upon him by tell- 
ing him the editor of the Inquirer wanted a 
copy of -Spurgeon's sermons. He kindly went 
to the library, which was not then open on 
Sunday, and got me two volumes. 

These I took to my lodgings, and having 
Dr. Brook's text, I began a search for a ser- 
mon on that text by the famous English 
divine. To my great joy I found it in the 
second volume and audaciously copied it. I 
turned the copy in and it was printed in the 
Inquirer on Monday morning. 

During the course of the morning members 
of Kpi])hany Church droi>ped into Mr. Hard- 
ing's ofiice, and talked about the sermon. 
There were many things in it they declared 
they didn't remember his having saici, and 
many expressions were not like Dr. Brooks 
at all. Finally Mr. Harding sent for me and, 
like a guilty culprit, I went into his presence. 
He asked about the sermon. I told him that 
I had done the best I could with it: that no 
short-hand man could take Dr. Brooks, or 
long-hand one either, so as to make it con- 
nect. 

To cap the climax, in the afternoon Dr. 
Brooks himself called upon Mr. Harding, he 
having business in the neighborhood, and 
repudiated the sermon. ."Vgain was I sent for, 
and in their presence made a clean breast of 
it. Dr. Brooks sat in his chair aghast until 
the comic side of the matter struck him, and 
he began to laugh heartily. "To think of me 
plagiarizing the sermon of a parson of an- 
other cloth." he said, and then he laughed 
some more. Then he begged Mr. Harding 
not to punish me. saying that it was a good 
joke on him : that he would remember it to his 
dying day. and that under the circumstances 
I was to be commended for my enterprise, as 
I had brought a sermon into the office. 

I was always a Phillips Brooks man after 
that. .Although nothing befell from this es- 
capade, I was not so fortunate with the next 
one. 

The Greeley-Grant Presidential Campaign, 
in 1872, was on, and it was politically hot in 
Philadelphia. Partisanship ran so high that 
Mayor Stokely ordered the arrest of hawkers 
who were selling on the streets copies of 
Senator Sumner's great speech against 
Grant's supposed scheme to annex San Do- 
mingo. This action aroused all the Greeley 
papers throughout the country. .Mthough I 
wasn't as yet the proprietor of a vote, I was 
a staunch and enthusiastic Greeley admirer. 



12 



Pciiiisxl-i'uiiia and Its Public Men. 



The detectives and the police officials at the 
Central Station would nag me about it, and 
one night Ben Levy, known as the "nigger 
flctective," exasperated me so that I lost my 
temper, and I made a remark that I shouldn't 
about General Grant. He then arrested me 
and, together with a reserve policeman, locked 
me up. This action aroused the anger of 
the reporters, and they put after Kennard 
Jones, w'ho was chief of police, .going to his 
house and bringing him to the Central. He 
instantly ordered my release. 

There were two Greeley dailies then pub- 
lished in Philadelphia, the Age and the morn- 




Samuel M. and K. Hudson, 2l» and 3d 

ing Post. Both papers printed flaming ac- 
counts of the "outrage," and belabored the 
Republicans. Their accounts were wired to 
all the leading anti-Grant newspapers through- 
out the country, and for a day I figured as 
a national character. 

In the meantime a leading lawyer induced 
me to enter a suit against Mayor Stokely for 
damages for false arrest and imprisonment, 
ilayor Stokely was anxious to suppress the 
episode, and had a talk with Mr. Harding, 
who was also angry at the prominence I had 
received, since I was the einployee of a 
staunch Republican paper. In order to "pinch 
me" into dropping the suit, he caused me to 
be suspended. After a short time I concluded 
to abandon the case, and returned to my old 
place. 



I was the first newspaper man to act as 
the Philadelphia correspondent of a New 
York newspaper, and sent matter regularly 
to the Snn. Subsequently I became the regu- 
lar correspondent of the New York JVorld 
and of the Chicago Times. My salary on the 
Inquirer was advanced from six dollars to 
ten dollars per week, and that, with working 
for the evening local papers and the outside 
papers, I was in the enjoyment of a nice in- 
come. In those times nearly all the reporters 
on the morning papers had regular jobs on 
the Sunday weeklies, such as the Dispatch. 
Times. Mercury, Republic, JVorld, and Col. 
Enoch Greene's Transcript. We would get 
five dollars for Saturday's work and two dol- 
lars for extra work on the Telegraph and 
Bulletin. I reported as an extra man for the 
Bulletin all the famous trials of that period, 
the Brinckle z's. Brinckle divorce case, the 
Whitaker will contest, and the Hunter-Arm- 
strong-murder trial, and also the trial of the 
founder of Vineland and Isle City, Charles S. 
Landis, who was tried at Bridgeton, Xew 
Jersey, for the murder of Editor Caruth. All 
these were sensational cases lasting over 
weeks in their trials. 

The day before the failure of Jay Cooke 
and Company I took a check for fifty dollars 
from the New York World, representing my 
month's work, to Mr. Ford, the business man- 
ager of the Inquirer, to get cashed. He car- 
ried the check into the private office of Mr. 
Harding, who came out and said, "Sam, will 
you let me have this check for a few days?" 

"Certainly," I replied, and I heard him tell 
a clerk to take it around to Jay Cooke. I 
thought that was a very singular performance. 
I was interested in Jay Cooke, as my father 
had told me that he had invested largely his 
savings with him, the financier being very 
popular wnth Methodist clergymen. 

The next day I was assigned to report an 
outing given by the representative business 
men of the city in honor of General Grant. 
^^'e went down the river and had a gala time. 
When the steamer, on its return in the after- 
noon, approached the city of Chester, there 
were frantic signals waved to her from the 
wharf. The captain was directed to land, and 
as soon as the gang plank was put out half 
a dozen messenger boys rushed aboard with 
telegrams for prominent business men, and 
there was intense excitement. These messen- 
gers brought the information that Jay Cooke 
had failed, and that there was a panic in 
Philadelphia. A large number of the excur- 
sionists left the boat and hastened to the 
depot to catch a train for the city. The en- 
joyment of the occasion was marred. I suc- 
ceeded in getting an interview with General 
Grant, full of sympathy for Jay Cooke, who 



A Look Hack to the Cradle 



U 



was his personal friend, and scored a "beat"' 
with it in the Inquirer. 

I got the job of local reporter for the Sun- 
day Times through a peculiar incident. One 
Saturday night I was loafing at police head- 
quarters when a message came over the wire 
that there had been a murder and suicide on 
Xew Market Street near Callowhill. I knew 
I would have to write the story for the Mon- 
day Inquirer, so went along with the Central 
Station detectives and the reporters of the 
Sunday papers. There had been a disgusting 
crime committed. .\ beautiful girl, named 
Mary Bracken, had been beguiled into the 
attic of her father's residence by a tenant. 
who had assaulted her, then cut her throat, 
and. after setting the room on fire, had sev- 
ered his own jugular. When we entered this 
chamber of horrors it looked as though a 
dozen hogs had been butchered in it. It was 
one of the most revolting sights I liave ever 
seen, and I have seen some mighty flesh- 
creeping ones in my day. 

The late Allan Reed, who subsequently be- 
came the head of the great clothing house 
of Jacob Reed & Sons, was the regular re- 
porter for the Sunday Times. He had no 
t sooner crossed the threshold and his eyes 
taken in the dreadful sight, than he fell in a 
heap and a dead faint. It was the sight of 
the blood that undone him. He was carried 
into another room and restored. He re- 
quested me to write the story for him. and 
on the following Monday he resigned his job. 
saying that he was not "cut out for the busi- 
ness." although his brilliant, though erratic 
brother, Joe, was. I then became the reporter 
also for the Sunday Times. 

The advent of the Philadelphia Public Rec- 
ord, in 1873, was an event in newspaperdom. 
There were some interesting circumstances 
connected with it. The building chosen for its 
occupancy was the old office of the Public 
Ledger, at the southwest corner of Third and 
Chestnut Streets. Its founder was William 
M. Swain, a son of one of the members of 
the firm of Swain & Abel, who had established 
the Public Ledger. There was much secrecy 
observed as to its forthcoming "make up" and 
mechanical appearance. Those connected with 
it would disclose no information. The night 
it was sent to press all outsiders were dis- 
barred from the press room. The edition had 
been hardly one-half ran oft when the one big 
press which had been installed broke down. 
The piece of machinery that had collapsed 
could be duplicated at that hour but at one 
place in the city, and that was the press room 
of the Ledger. It was then after midnight. 
The Record's boss pressman hurried to the 
Ledger and borrowed a duplicate taken from 
a reserve press. The foreman of the Ledger's 



liress room kindly volunteered to accompany 
liim and assist in the repair work, but his len- 
der was refused. 

The ne.Kt morning the city was greatly sur- 
prised when it saw that the new ])ai)er was 
practically a fac-simile of the Public Ledger. 
not only in its physical api)earance, but in its 
special and news features, its "make-up" an<! 
its announced policy. It sold for a cent, and 
the Ledger for two. This similarity set the 
tongues of the town wagging, and it was con- 
ceded that Mr. Swain's evident purpose was 
to break the Ledger down and w reak vengence 
upon Mr. Childs. 

Then the story became current of how 
George W. Childs had succeeded in acquiring 
the Ledger from the father of Mr. Swain. 

!Mr. Childs was a book publisher, whose 
place of business was on Chestnut Street above 
Third. He had long entertained the ambition 
to be at the head of a Philadelphia newspaper, 
and it was gossip that he was after the Ledger. 

History, as told at the lime, and for which 
1 have no proofs or evidence, was that Mr. 
Swain was induced to sign a bill of the Led- 
ger property by Mr. Childs while under the 
influence of litpior. Mr. Swain was a hard 
drinker, and his favorite resort was Price's 
restaurant, located on the north side of Chest- 
nut Street, above Third. It was renowned for 
its terrapin and canvas back ducks and sea 
food, and its patrons were wealthy business 
inen. 

The story continued that, after he had suc- 
ceeded in plying him with liquor and inducing 
the inebriated owner of the Ledger to sign the 
bill of sale, Mr. Childs, not being the possessor 
of the necessary money to consunnnate the 
transaction, went to Anthony Drexel and got 
it. This story was somewhat confirmed when 
years after it was disclosed that the Dre.xels 
were majority owners of the paper. Their 
connection with it \vas concealed for the very 
transparent reason that if the world knew 01 
this ownership, its influence, particularly in 
the stock and money markets, would have been 
lessened. Therefore, Mr. Childs posed as the 
real owner of the Ledger until his death, when 
the Drexel partnership was disclosed. It was 
claimed that William M, Swain was seeking 
revenge upon Mr. Childs when he brought out 
the Public Record for one cent, and sought to 
make it an imitator of the Ledger. 

By means of a map used by the canvassers 
as an inducement the Record attained a cir- 
culation of one hundred thousand copies. It 
had a good stall'. Charley Wilson, its city 
editor, used to amuse me. He was decidedly 
erratic. He never sat on a chair while at work 
in the office, but straddled a carpenter's wood- 
horse. 

When William M. Singerly took over the 



14 



Pciutsvk'ania and Its Public Men. 



Record he selected my cousin. John Xorris, for 
the city editorship. He offered nie a job on the 
paper, but I declined it. The paper had run 
down, both in circulation and influence, but it 
was built up and placed on its present scale 
of prosperity by the Hunter-Armstrong mur- 
der. This crime was a cause celebre and ex- 
cited a wonderful public interest. The trial 
was held in Camden, and the Record printed a 
verbatim report daily, which caused its cir- 
culation to rise by leaps and bounds. 

We had a reporter on the Inquirer named 
Tom Harkins. He was a professional musi- 
cian, and in the habit of grossly neglecting his 
reportorial duties for his musical engagements. 

Arriving at the Central Station late at night 
he borrowed all the news in sight from the re- 
porters, and when about to leave for the office 
noticed the heavens lit up as though a great 
conflagration was raging. He inquired of Joe 
Reed, an old reporter, what it was, and he 
promptly informed him that the big ice houses 
that then stood on the Schuylkill River within 
the present limits of the Park, were being de- 
stroyed. Harkins wrote a flaming account of 
their destruction, as he was familiar with their 
location and appearance, and the Inquirer the 
next day scored a "beat" on its contemporaries 
which, instead of printing an account of the 
fire, did publish graphic accounts of a wonder- 
ful display of the northern lights, which it 
was. This incident gave the city editor the 
chance he was waiting for to discharge Mr. 
Harkins. 

In those days the papers went into combina- 
tions for the reporting of big thmgs in order 
to save money. Thus the Constitutional Con- 
vention of 1874, the Legislature and the Cen- 
tennial Exposition were largely chronicled by 
Joseph Gilbert, a well-known stenographer. 

Reporters were permitted to get square "or 
roast" those who had ill treated or snubbed 
them. I recall a few instances which are 
worth relating. There was a big launch of one 
of the American liners at Cramp's shipyard, 
and George Beatty, who had graduated from 
an office boy on the Evening Telegraph to a 
reporter, was assigned to write it up. He 
reached the yard just as the leviathan was glid- 
ing into the water. He desired to get to a 
stand where many guests were sitting, and al- 
though he had an invitation from the firm, he 
was denied access to it in a rough manner by 
one of the Cramp boys. Beatty had absorbed 
enough information and view of the scene with 
which to write a story, and returning to the 
office saw Charles W. Warburton, the owner, 
and told him of his treatment. Mr. Warbur- 
ton was indignant, and said, "Cut it out : 
ignore the launch." The reporter then sug- 
gested that he be allowed to dish it up in his 
own way, which was permitted. The Tele- 



graph came out with a burlesque account of 
the launch, but the sting lie in the list of dis- 
tinguished guests, who were named. Beatty 
included two hundred Cramps. There was no- 
body else there but Cramps, from John to 
Obidiah and from William to Ezekiel, he even 
drawing upon the office Bible for surnames. 

Late in the afternoon "Uncle Charley" 
Cramp visited Mr. Warburton's office, bris- 
tling with indignation. He demanded to know 
the reason why the Telegraph had treated 
his launch in such a fashion. Mr. Warbur- 
ton sent for the reporter, as he said, for an 
explanation. Mr. Beatty told him how he 
had been treated, also adding that he had 
been denied the privilege at the Cramp's office 
of copying the list of guests. 

"Who wouldn't let you pass into the yard 
after you had shown your card? H you come 
with me and point him out I'll discharge 
him," he exclaimed. 

"Why, Mr. Cramp, it was your own son," 
was the reply. This took the wind out of 
"LTncle Charley's'' sails, and Mr. Warburton 
declared he would have to stand by the re- 
porter whose duties were frequently unpleas- 
ant and unappreciated. 

This same reporter gave Mayor Fitler a 
jarr to the keen delight of his newspaper as- 
sociates, who hated every bone in his body. 

Mrs. President Cleve'and was paying a so- 
cial visit to the city. Mr. Childs, who loved 
to pay attention to distinguished persons, de- 
termined to make her a present, and with 
that end in view invited her to visit his office 
in the Ledger building. He also asked Mayor 
Fitler to be there, and requested the attend- 
ance of the reporters of the evening papers. 
The present was a solid silver desk-set, and 
there were several designs for the lady to 
select from. This ceremony over, Mr. Childs 
invited Mrs. Cleveland to pay a visit to In- 
dependence Hall, to which she assented. 
Mayor Fitler went along, and as was his 
characteristic fashion, strove to be the whole 
thing, much to Mr. Childs' disgust. 

Mr. Beatty. in writing his account for the 
Telegraph, introduced the character of an old 
Irish woman as being present in the Hall 
when the Child's party arrived. He had her 
saying, when she learned that the lady was 
Mrs. Cleveland : — 

"What an ugly and pompous mon that she 
has for a husband. And is the auld turkey 
gobbler the Prisident of the United States?" 

"No," said the reporter to the old woman. 
"That is not the President; that is Mayor 
Fitler." 

"Well ! well ! Now, who'd have thought 
it?" 

Mr. Warburton read the article in proof, 



A Look Back to the Cradle. 



15 



and suninionctl Mr. Beatty downstairs to in- 
quire about it. 

"Did the Irish woman say this?" lie asked. 

"Xo," said the reporter. 

"Was there any Irish woman there at all ?" 

"Xo, sir," was the reply. 

"Well, what is this all about?" 

Mr. Beatty then told of the miserable ex- 
istence the reporters, who had to come into 
contact with ^layor Filler led: that he treated 
them as if they were inferior beings, and that 
he desired to get square with him. 

"Well, print the article then," was the judg- 
ment of Mr. Warburton. 

Some time after the edition was on the 
street Mayor Fitler, in a boiling rage, entered 
Mr. Warburton's office. He had a fashion of 
going direct to the eye of the needle, and 
which he did upon this occasion. Mr. War- 
burton, after listening to the Ma^'or's char- 
acterization of the story, professed ignorance 
as to it, and summoned the guilty reporter 
into the awful presence. 

The reporter's explanation was that he had 
written it as a joke, and then Mr. Warburton, 
with the smiling approval of Mayor Fitler. 
proceeded to give Mr. Beatty a dressing 
down, threatening him with discharge and a 
consignment to the fires of the eternally 
'.imned upon a repetition of the offense. The 
.Mayor then left somewhat appeased, and Mr. 
Warburton, turning to Mr. Beatty, who was 
still stinging from the rebuke of his employer, 
remarked. "George, didn't you see that I was 
putting up a bluff?" 

The story of how ^^ayor William B. Smith, 
of Philadelphia, came to receive the soubrequet 
of "The Dandy Mayor" w-as this: He had 
made an assessment of the police force for a 
political campaign that was on, and was at- 
tacked hv some of the newspapers, notablv bv 
Colonel McClure in the Times. 

The Mayor's office reporters strove to inter- 
view him about it. but he dodged them or 
denied himself to them for three weeks. 
Finally there was a meeting of the Police 
Committee of City Councils, and it was held 
in the office of the Mayor. This gave the re- 
porters access to him. Mr. Beatty, of the 
Evening Telegraph, was the first in, and the 
Mavor greeting him. warmly regretting that 
he had not seen him for some weeks. 

"^'ou have been dodging us." was the replv, 

"Oh, yes: I'm the Dandy Mayor, I am," re- 
•^ponded Smith. 

Mr. Beatty then wrote an article relating 
the circumstance of the dodging and the final 
meeting, and headed it "The Dandy Mavor." 
The town took it right up, and to this dav the 
famous Scotchman is known as "The Dandy 
Mavor." 

There is a comical side to the manner en- 



tirely Fitkrish of how Mayor Fitler became 
the chairman of the Citizens' Permanent Re- 
lief .Association back at the time of the Johns- 
town flood. This conunittee was formed, and 
J, G. Dittman, a leading paper dealer, was 
selected for the chairmanship. The committee 
assembled in the Mayor's office after its or- 
ganization to act upon matters coming before 
it and Mr. Dittman undertook to take the place 
of its chairman. Mayor Fitler pushing him 
away from the chair with his body, and to the 
great amazement of its members said. "I am 
the chairman." 

"But I have been elected chairman," jiro- 
tested Mr. Dittman. 

"Excuse me, I am the Mayor of Philadel- 
phia, and I shall preside over this committee," 
and he dropped into the chair, calling the com- 
mittee to order. .And from that time on the 
Mayor of the city has been recognized as the 
chairman of this useful committee. 

In 1S75 I became in ill health, and mv fam- 
ily feared that I had inherited my mother's 
fatal malady, tuberculosis. 

I recognized in an otYer that then came bv 
mail from Bloss & Cogswell, editors and 
owners of the Morning lieraki, of Titusville, 
Pennsylvania, in the then oil country, to go on 
that paper as news editor as the hand of 
Providence. Consulting a physician friend, 
he advised me strongly to go to the country 
and to a higher altitude. The salary was 
tv.'ice what I was getting on the Inquirer. I 
accepted the position by wire, and then fol- 
lowed. Titusville was then a bustling oil 
town, although it had strong rivals in Oil City 
and Parker's Landing. 

The Herald printed the daily petroleum 
news of the operations of the entire territory 
and had correspondents everywhere. Their 
grist had to be edited, and besides a full asso- 
ciated press report was received. There were 
few incidents in my life here. William R. 
.\ndrews, better known to political fame as 
"The Bull," was then the John Wanamaker of 
the oil region, and had a big department store 
in Titusville. He was the leading advertiser. 
Life in the Herald office was made unpleasant 
for a time to me, as I feared that I was rest- 
ing under suspicion of wrong-doing. It was 
discovered that some one connected with the 
office W'ho had access to the copy, the proofs 
or the mechanical make-up, was juggling the 
quotations of certain oil stocks, and somebodv 
was making a keg of money out of the game. 
The complaints increased, as did the mystifica- 
tion of the owners of the paper. I was put on 
the rack, and urged to exercise vigilance, but 
failed to discover how the trick was being 
done. Finally, early one morning I was super- 
intending the "make-up" of the paper in the 
composition room, when a voice suddenly 



16 



Pciiiisxlrania and lis Public Men. 



shouted, "Now, I've got you," and there was a 
desperate scuffle. A new printer was trying to 
overpower the assistant foreman, and he had 
to call for help, declaring that he was a detec- 
tive, in order to overcome this man. By the 
introduction of this detective among the print- 
ers was this stock manipulation revealed. The 
assistant foreman watching his chance would 
alter the types in the quotations, always low- 
ering them, as his outside principals were 
"bears." 

]\Iv work and reputation earned on the 
Herald attracted the attention of some wealthy 
gentlemen and politicians of !Meadville, the 
country seat, who sent for me to visit them. 
They then proposed the establishment of a 
morning paper, there being none, and the town 
was a strong rival to Titusville. We had sev- 
eral meetings, and the conclusion was reached 
that the success of the daily could only be as- 
sured by the assistance of au established 
weekly paper and job office. There were a 
couple of weeklies then printed in j\Ieadville 
and negotiations were entered into with their 
owners, but no purchase could be satisfactorily 
accomplished, and the scheme fell through. 
Had I thus been established as an editor and 
stockholder of this proposed paper my career 
would have been changed. The months I lived 
in the pure bracing air of Titusville had a 
wonderful effect upon my health, and my lung 
troubles disappeared and I took on fat. 

While at Titusville I prepared a lecture on 
a topical subject, and after advertising it in 
Butler, delivered it before a large audience 
there in the Court House. This was my 
debut as a platform orator. 

In connection with W. B. Kingsbury, for- 
merly cashier of the Titusville Herald, I at- 
tempted to establish a Sunday paper in Cam- 
den, N. J., but the venture was a failure, and 
has never been repeated. 

I returned to my old place on the Inquirer. 
My recollections o'f L. Clarke Davis, the bril- 
liant editor of that paper, are of the pleas- 
antest. One Sunday night while he and I 
were alone in the office, he stumped me, how- 
ever. Calling me into his little den he said, 
"Mr. Hudson, you . do not treat me as the 
editor of this paper should be treated." 

I looked at him with amazement, as he 
was one of the most lovable of men, and I 
was at loss to find where I had been at fault, 
nor do I know to this day to what he alluded. 
I did my share in the development of the 
Centennial Exposition, which was the idea 
and creation of Charles S. Keyser, a brilliant, 
but erratic lawyer. I wrote nearly all the 
articles on the subject that appeared in the 
Inquirer, and boomed it from the headwaters 
to the mouth. 

The Centennial coming on, the old North 



American, which was the organ of the finan- 
cial, the shipping, and the commercial inter- 
ests, decided to spruce up and assume more 
the character of a general newspaper, and go 
in for circulation. Its "locals" were fur- 
nished by E. G. O. Fisher, who was also con- 
nected with the Inquirer, the Sunday Mer- 
cury, and the German Demokrat. Mr. Fisher 
was authorized to employ a reporter to as- 
sist him, and he tendered the place to me. 
The salary was to be fifteen dollars, or five 
more than I was receiving on the Inquirer. 
The office of the North American was then 
on Third Street, fronting Dock. While Col. 
Clayton McMichael was the managing editor, 
ex-Mayor McMichael daily visited the office 
and wrote a leader. He was one of the court- 
liest gentlemen I have ever met, and one of 
the most considerate. 

I did all the "heavy villain" local work for 
the paper, besides maintaining a department 
under the caption of "Topics of the Town." 
It was this department that involved me in 
trouble and caused the paper a serious mone- 
tary loss. It was the most serious "bad 
break" that can be charged against me during 
a newspaper career covering nearly forty 
years. And in this connection I can truth- 
fully state that I never w-rote anything that 
led to the prosecution of a newspaper for libel 
or brought it into disrepute. But the story is 
this:— 

I had made the acquaintance of a Camden 
dressmaker and she, knowing me to be a 
newspaper man, told me an incident which 
had happened to a girl friend of hers who 
was employed in a department store of Phil- 
adelphia, and which she characterized as an 
outrage. Her tale was that in this store there 
was a rule prohibiting the shop girls from sit- 
ting down during business hours. This par- 
ticular girl was rather frail, and this ordeal 
one day overtaxed her strength, and she fell 
in a faint. The floor manager ordered a cab 
and she was taken to her boarding house in 
Camden. In her pay envelope, at the end of 
the week, five dollars were deducted for the 
carriage hire. 

I printed the story in the North American, 
carefully avoiding mentioning the establish- 
ment, stating that it was one of the largest 
shops in Philadelphia. 

Dennis Dealy, who was the proprietor^ of 
the Evening Chronicle, reprinted the article 
without giving credit, which was his custom, 
and so did the German daily, the Volksblatt. 
Then it was copied by a number of near 
country papers, which severely criticised such 
inhuman treatment of the poor and ill-paid 
shop girls, and some called upon the North 
American to designate the establishment so 
thev could appeal to their readers not to 



A Look Bade to the Cradle. 



i: 



patronize it". Tlicn a couple of women's clubs 
or societies took the matter up, passing reso- 
lutions, condemninsf the practice of the shops 
in forcing the girls thus to stand, and they 
were sent to the papers and published. 

The tem|)est in the teapot was increasing, 
when one morning I was summoned into the 
editorial room of Mayor McMichael. I found 
him there with John Wanamaker, the great 
merchant, who held in his hand a copy of the 
Xorth American containing this particular 
article. Mr. McMichael asked me if I had 
written it. I told him I had. "Have \-t>u 
reason to believe it to be true?" "I have 
every reason to since I got the information 
from a party to whom the girl related the cir- 
cumstance." 

Mr. Wanamaker then wanted to know in 
whose store it had occurred, as the story was 
believed by many to point to him. and he said 
it was calculated to do him great damage. 
I informed him that it had occurred in his 
store, and that his son was the man who had 
ordered the carriage for the girl. This an- 
gered him and. repudiating the story, he not 
only demanded that the North American 
should state that it did not refer to. his store, 
but that I should be discharged. 

Mr. Wanamaker was a large advertiser 
and a man of iiuportancc in the town. The 
old McMichael spirit was aroused, and he 
refused to do either, and there was a scene. 

"I shall have the matter investigated, and 
if Mr. Hudson can produce the girl and she 
will vouch for the truth of the story, the 
Xorth American will neither retract it or 
discharge Mr. Hudson." was the ultimatum 
of Mayor McMichael. Edward Furlong, the 
business manager, and afterward a Fire Com- 
missioner of the Paid Fire Department, and 
myself, then began an investigation. It took 
us two days to find the Camden dressmaker, 
who substantiated what I had said she had 
told me. She gave us the name of the girl, 
and informed us that she caine from Chester, 
and was then at her home. We were enabled 
to locate her in Chester, and found her in- 
nocent of the storms that had been created 
over her affairs. The shop girl supported my 
story in every detail, and it took little per- 
suasion to gain her consent to accompany 
us to Philadelphia and see Mayor McMichael 
and John Wanamaker. She stimilated that 
her fiance, to whom she was about to be 
married, should go along. 

Mavor ^^cMichael was entirely satisfied 
with her story, and seemed pleased that I had 
"delivered the goods." AFr. Furlong then 
took the girl to John Wanamaker. who held 
to his bluff, assertinsr to the eirl that she was 
a blackmailer, and she left his presence cry- 
ing. Her young man and myself had re- 
2 



niained at the corner of Thirteenth and 
Market Streets, and when the girl came 
weeping to him and sobbed, "Oh. Charley, 
what do you think Mr. Wanamaker has called 
me. " and upon being informed reached for a 
gi;n he had in his hip-pocket, and attempted 
to seek the merchant for the special purpose 
of transforming him into an angel, and we 
had to restrain him, a scuftle ensuing in our 
efforts to hold the would-be nuirderer, which 
attracted a crowd. 

Mr. Wanamaker hastened to act. He with- 
drew his advertising from the North Amer- 
ican, which amounted to a good many thou- 
-sands a year, and he not only thus pimished 
the McMichael paper, but Dennis Dealy's 
Chronicle and the German I'olkshlatt, which 
had innocently copied my little story, were 
made to feel his stern displeasure and wrath, 
although they didn't know what it was all 
about. They got the punishment that only in 
long stretches of time comes to the sneak 
news thief, or the man whose paper is edited 
by Monsier Siz-zors. There is hardly one 
newspaper owner or manager in a hundred 
who woulfl have stood by a writer, or have 
sacrificed his heaviest advertiser in a matter 
involving the ethics of journalism as did this 
"grand old man."" Mayor McMichael. 

The boodlers of City Councils were beauti- 
fully fiimflanmied in connection with the 
(iirard .Avenue bridge o\er the Schuylkill. 
Prior to the Rullitt city charter large municipal 
contracts were voted upon by the Citv Coun- 
cils. It is superfluous to state that graft was 
plentiful, and for those Councilmen who were 
after the "flesh-pots ' they had no difficulty in 
finding it. and with little chance of discoverv. 
since the newspapers were not then of a "yel- 
low" tinge, or of the nuick-rate order. 

The day the contract for the (lirard .\venue 
bridge, spanning the Schuylkill, and which, 
when erected and for years thereafter enjoved 
the distinction of being the widest bridge in 
the world, was to be voted upon, there was an 
air of bustle in the chambers of City Councils. 
The Phoeni.x P.ridge Company was the fore- 
most candidate, but had competitors in the 
Keystone and the Cofrode and .Saylor Com- 
panies. The reporters got the tip that after 
the session an elaborate banquet was to be 
served across the street at the old -American 
House, then a leading hostelry. 

Edward Lyster. an e.x-member of Common 
Councils from the Twenty-fourth Ward and a 
coal dealer, was the financial "angel" for the 
Phceni.x Company. He was a conspicuous per- 
son around the city, by reason of the rig he 
drove about in. a pair of little black ponies and 
an undersized carriage. Upon this occasion 
the team stood in front of Independence Hall. 



18 



Pcinisxlvaiiia and Its Public Men. 



The vote was taken by the joint chambers 
amid more or less excitement, and Lyster. big 
of frame and flowing of moustache, kept the 
tally in the lobby. He had no sooner assured 
himself that the contract had been voted to his 
clients than he mad a dash down the stairway, 
and jumping into his carriage, drove rapidly 
away. 

After the announcement of the vote there 
were immediate inquiries for T.yster and the 
news soon spread that he had fled with his 
team, it creating consternation. With heavy 
heart and dire forebodings the crestfallen 
crowd of statesmen repaired to the American 
House to console themselves with the good 
cheer and wine they knew had been there pro- 
vided. And it was at this "spread" that 
Lyster was privately to hand over the "stuff" 
to those whose votes he had arranged for. 
The manager of the hotel halted the game, 
however. He wanted to see Lyster, who had 
ordered the dinner, and receive his pay before 
serving it. But Lyster had gone to the tall 
timbers, and the banquet was not eaten. 
Lyster remained under cover for several 
months, and when he returned, purchased the 
old Commissioner's Hall, on West Market 
Street, with the "stake," it was asserted, he 
had kept. 

Some years after this occurrence I was in a 
position to assist the Phoenix Bridge Company 
in defeating a Councihnanic blackmail in 
Scranton. I was the editor of the Times of 
that city, the Democratic organ of the county. 
There were a couple of city bridge contracts 
to be awarded by the City Councils, and these 
had hung fire for some time. One day I was 
visited in the Times office by a gentleman who 
introduced himself as the representative of the 
Phcenix Bridge Company. He explained that 
that corporation was the lowest and most re- 
sponsible bidders for these contracts, but that 
they were being "held up" by certain boodlers 
of the City Councils who were rapaciously de- 
manding more graft than the company would 
put up. Finallv, producing a wax-sealed en- 
velope, he handed it to me with the request 
that if I did not hear from him within three 
days that I would be at liberty to open it, and 
publish its contents in the Times. I think it 
was two days after that the gentleman re- 
turned, and in the course of conversation 
informed me that he had succeeded in bring- 
ing the boodlers to time by telling them he 
had written out a full expose of the transac- 
tion, together with names, and that it was in 
my possession with instructions to open it and 
print its contents unless otherwise requested. 

The speculators knew me, and that I would 
not hesitate to lay the facts before the people. 
The Phcenix Company was voted the contracts 
at the next meeting of the Citv Councils. 



Bob Mackey, who was one of Simon Cam- 
eron's aid-de-camps, and one of the .shrewd- 
est, resourceful, and audacious politicians of 
his time, came to Philadelphia around about 
Centennial year. His specialty laid in the 
handling of a legislature or a political con- 
vention. It used to be said that if Mackey's 
pants were hung up in the hall of the House 
or the Senate Chamber, they would be sufifi- 
cient to pass any bill. He had bachelor 
quarters at Phil Daly's, on Ninth Street, be- 
low Sansom, which was a noted wine house 
with luxurious apartments for high play. 
IMackey was in the Republican plot to steal 
the vote of Louisiana for Hayes for President 
in 1876, and from Daly's pulled the wires 
which made it successful. 

Mackey was in ill health. Consumption 
was making rapid inroads upon his life. He 
was a prime favorite with the reporters and 
would reel off stories to us as we drank his 
champagne, which was his sole tipple. It 
was rare, though, we got a story from him 
we could print, as they were imparted in a 
confidential way, which made them valueless. 
The poor fellow died in Philadelphia, and 
his funeral was attended by the leading poli- 
ticians of the State. 

The Centennial Exposition hit the big city 
politicians severely, they having invested 
heavily in temporary hotels in the neighbor- 
hood of the exposition grounds, and these 
were scantily patronized, the stranger visi- 
tors preferring the central city bote's. 

It was feared at first that the Centennial 
would prove a colossal failure owing to the 
extraordinary heat of May. June, and July, 
Philadelphia being singularly situated in a 
torrid zone. It was the hottest city in the 
LTnited States. Looking back to that first 
of the W'orld's Fairs to be held in the United 
States, it seems strange to relate that human 
ingenuity had not the means of illuminating 
the massive buildings and grounds so that 
the exposition could be kept open at night. 
The electric light had not then been per- 
fected. I saw the solendid and enchanting 
electrical effects at the Pan-American Expo- 
sition at Buffalo, which turned that gay 
world's fair at night into the effulgence of 
dav from energy generated by the power of 
Niagara Falls, and later at the St. Louis 
Exposition, when the evening, by reason of 
the coo'ness, was a popular time to visit it, 
and realized that had the arc and incandes- 
cent lights been in existence in 1876, that the 
Centennial would have been a money-maker. 
The Centennial attracted many newspaper 
men from other cities, and among the bright- 
est and most pooular of them was Colonel 
Keegan, representing the New York Express. 
He had a fine war record, was as handsome 



.1 Look Hach to the Cradle 



19 



as a Greek god. witty, and the pro|)rictor of 
an overstock of Irish assurance. The Custer 
massacre, by the Indians under Geroninii. 
uliose acquaintance I made at the Buffalo 
li.xposition. shocked the nation. 

Gen. Phillip Sheridan, who was in com- 
mand of the western department of the army, 
with headquarters in Chicago, was visiting 
the Centennial. Immediately upon receipt of 
news of the massacre, he established his army 
headquarters in the Centennial Hotel, and 
was constantly in receipt of news telegrams. 
Having to visit him for news, we reporters 
established a good fellowship with him. He 
used to make many visits to the hotel bar 
during the course of the dav. and his face 
was almost as blood-flushed as that of John 
L. Hill, the Public Buildings Commission 
boss. It was funny to see him sitting on one 
of the hotel settees in the hotel lobby, his 
legs too short for his feet to rest on the 
floor, and smoking the blackest cigar, like 
General Grant. Colonel Kccgan had occa- 
sion to make a news call on General .Sheridan 
one morning, and knocking on bis ofiice door 
got no response. Becoi»iino- impatient, the 
colonel shouted, "Vou dnniken. little. Irish 

son-of-a-b . open the donr." And the door 

did open and in wrath emerged (ieneral 
.'^heridan. who proceeded to kick the valiant 
Keegan down the corridor and to the grand 
staircase of the hotel. That afternoon a 
group of reporters were loitering, as was our 
custom, on the steps of the ^Mayor's office at 
Fifth and Chestnut Streets, when Colonel 
Keegan joined, and carefully parting bis coat 
tails and smacking the regions which tbev 
concealed, he exclaimed e.xultantlv: ".\h. 
boys, there's the posterior that General Sheri- 
dan kicked." He was actually proud that the 
famous soldier had "put the boots" to him. 

Aside from the ownership of a newspaper, 
the greatest ambition of the reporter is to arise 
to the dignity of a Washington correspondent. 
My work on the Xorlli American brought this 
distinction to me in 1S78. and without mv soli- 
citation. I had recently marrie<I and pur- 
chased a residence in West Philadelphia, and 
this appointment meant an e.xile from wife and 
home for months at a time. How I was 
envied by my comrades in the business, and 
the airs that I put on ! I was exceedinglv 
fortunate in Washington from the start. I 
obtained desk room in a big office in the 
Corcoran Building, which was shared by Col- 
onel .\yres, of Dr. Mmnford's Kansa.s Citv 
Times: Sam Butler, of the defunct Baltimore 
Gazette, and Billy Copeland. of the Xew York 
Commercial Bulletin and Brooklyn Eagle, the 
latter a Philadelphian. They constituted one 
of the strongest newspaper combinations in 
Washington at the time. A "tenderfoot," T 



was thrown at once into the intimacy and news 
circles of these big fellows, and did the stunts 
for the combine, such as interviewing, cover- 
ing important Congressional cf)miuittec meet- 
ings, gathering news from the I'tderal depart- 
ments, and kee|)ing an eye on the hotel regis- 
ters. My falling in with Billy Copeland was a 
big streak of luck. He was recognized as the 
ablest financial and conunercial writer of 
"Newspaper Row." and an authority on the 
tariff, his Washington work aiding materiallv 
in giving to the Commercial Bulletin its stand- 
ing as the conunercial and financial organ of 
Xew York. The Xortli American held the 
same position to the business life of Philadel- 
phia. I thus was able to obtain for it news 
and matter directly of value to its readers. 
Poor Billy had a droop in his left eye like 
Senator Quay, whom he singularly resembled 
both in face and figure. His worst enemy was 
distilled spirits, and it was paradoxical that he 
shotild have died for the lack of the same. He 
had two spinster sisters, who lived in Ger- 
mantown. and at the end of a spree, and while 
visiting them, he died. His sisters looking 
upon liquor with abhorrence, refused his 
pleadings for it. and his physician declared 
he would have bridged over had they given 
it to him. 

Being the "cub" of the combination, it was 
natural that I shoukl be imposed upon. Both 
Colonel .\yres and Copelantl had to send a 
daily chatty letter to the Kansas City Times 
and the Brooklyn Eagle, and this task they im- 
posed upon me. These letters of mine brought • 
them high credit with their papers, but in turn 
I had the benefit of their business news. Col- 
onel .\yres finally drifted into the ranks of the 
Congressional lobliyists and acquired a large 
fortune. He had charge of two important 
operations — one. the Harbor of Refuge at the 
Delaware Breakwater, and the other to pre- 
vent the Crovernment from taking the site at 
Broad and Cherrv Streets. Philadelphia, for 
the new Mint, \\ith the former be repre- 
sented a contracting firm of Svracnse. X. N'.. 
who finally secured the contract for the big 
work. The general public know little bow 
these great achievements are brought about, 
but I can say that Colonel .Ayres bought 
enough members of the Connuittee on Rivers 
and Harbors of the House to my personal 
knowledge to put it through that committee, 
after which it had clear sailing. I worked 
strenuously on behalf of this bill, and received 
a fee from the Colonel. 

The Philadel])bia Mint site matter was of 
great interest at the time. The eccentric Wis- 
tar brothers, of Germantown. owned the site 
on Xorth Broad Street which the (Government 
wanted, and it was favored generally by the 
people of Philadelphia, although the block on 



20 



I'ciinsxlt'ania and Its Public Men. 



Walnut Street, fronting Washington Square, 
was a lively competitor. The W'istar brothers 
enjoyed a record of never selling a property 
which they had once acqiiired. and they were 
stubbornly opposed to making repairs. Colonel 
Ayres, who had been a wholesale tobacco mer- 
chant in Philadelphia, knew them, and had 
himself retained by them to upset the Govern- 
ment's design. I was so much in his confi- 
dence that I accompanied him to Atlantic City 
to meet the two Wistars from whom he 
obtained a large sum of money. After this 
financial deal was made the famous brothers 
had a meal prepared in their cottage, and the 
champagne was brought on. We spent a riot- 
ous night there, and in the morning the floor 
was strewn with empty bottles. Colonel Ayres 
worked the Mint scheme through John G. 
Carlisle, Secretary of the Treasury, and suc- 
ceeded, to the great delight of the W'istars. 

When I first went to Washington Ruther- 
ford B. Hayes was President. He was a very 
mean man. I have seen him drive on Penn- 
sjdvania Avenue in an old buggy with the top 
covered with chicken droppings, the fowls 
roosting on a beam in the wagon house of 
the Execulive Mansion. 

At this time President Hayes wa's employ- 
ing the Federal patronage and the adminis- 
tration to bring about the nomination of John 
Sherman, the Secretary of the Treasury, as 
his successor. The headquarters of the Sher- 
man boom was in the Corcoran Building 
on the same floor with the North American's 
offices. It was needless to say that our com- 
bination made connection with the boom. 
Mr. Sherman was jiarticularly strong with the 
business interests of the country, although he 
was unpopular with the politicians. At his 
headquarters I first made the acquaintance of 
John W. Frazier, of Philadelphia, who was 
bis political representative in that city, and 
thus founded an enjoyable friendship which 
has existed until now. I became very fond 
of John Sherman, who had one devouring 
ambition, anrl that to be President; but like 
Bryan and Blaine and Tom Reed, the honor 
was fated never to be his. Among the public 
men of that period there were two to whom 
I was especially attached, and they were 
James A. Garfield and Alexander H. Ste- 
phens, the \'ice-President of the Southern 
Confederacy. Garfield, then a member of the 
House, and Chairman of the Committee on 
.Appropriations, was one of the most lovable 
men I ever met. He was one of those sym- 
pathetic natures you could warm up to tight. 
Engage him in a conversation and he had 
his arm affectionately around your shoulders, 
and as a storv-tellcr, he was a prince. He 
lacked strength of character, however, which 
enabled Blaine to thoroughlv dominate him, 



and make of his short administration a stormy 
one. and one fatal to himself. He was to 
Blaine what .McKinley was to Mark Hanna — 
a weak instrument in his hands. 

I little dreamed, when I became acquainted 
with him. what the future had in store, the 
Presidency of the United States, and that 
I should witness the painful sight of seeing 
him upon his bed of agony, the victim of the 
assassin. When the dying President Gar- 
field was taken from Washington to Mr. 
Child's cottage at Long Branch in a special 
train, in order to escape the torrid heat of 
the capital, I was assigned to meet it at 
Gray's Ferry, where a stop was made to 
change locomotives. Ross Raymond, then 
representing the Xew York Herald, was on 
this "special," and being an old friend, he 
asked me if I should like to see Mr. Gar- 
field. I replied that I did, and he then led 
me around the train to the other side and, 
stopping at one of the cars, said, "I will lift 
you up and you will see him lying on a bed." 
He obliged me in this, and I had a complete 
.view of the stricken President, and was able 
to turn in a fine story to the Ei'cning Bulle- 
tin. I also saw another Presidential victim 
of an assassin — Abraham Lincoln. I was on 
a visit to my grandfather Jester, in Phila- 
delphia, when the body of Lincoln was 
brought to that city on its way to Springfield, 
Illinois, and given a public funeral. I saw 
the remains as they laid in state in Inde- 
pendence Hall, and were viewed by thou- 
sands of people during the hours the mortal 
remains of the martyr were there. 

I became greatly interested in Alexander 
H. Stephens, the Southland statesman, who 
was a little, weazened cripple with a head 
of extraordinary size. He got about in a 
wheel chair, and during the sessions of the 
House he would be placed in the space in 
front of the Speaker's desk. I used to meet 
Mr. Stephens in his Committee Room at 
lunch time. He would tell me stories of the 
war which have passed out of my recollec- 
tion, although I printed a number. 

In 1879 the North American sent me. as 
its correspondent, to report the Pennsylvania 
Legislature. I little imagined that the session 
was to be one of the most exciting and 
memorable in the history of the State. It 
has gone into history as the Riot Bill Legis- 
lature. In 1877 the Pennsylvania Railroad's 
policy of discrimination in freight rates 
aeainst the great industrial district of Pitts- 
burg, aroused a bitter feeling of resentment 
against it. This hatred finally culminated in 
the formation of a mob that defied the police 
power of the city, and which attacked the 
Company's property. The L^nion Depot was 
fired and burned, and the torch applied to 



.i Look Ihick to the Cradle. 



21 



hundreds of frcislu cars. The State troops 
were called out, the Philadelphia regiments 
going. The Philadelphia troops were cor- 
nered in the round-house, where a pitched 
battle rasred and many were killed and 
wounded. This battle occurred on a Sunday, 
and so great was the excitemetit in Philadel- 
phia on that Sunday that Chestnut Street 
was jammed with people to read the news 
bulletins put out by the papers. The Rullc- 
liit and the Telegraph issued "extras," which 
was one of two times only within my recol- 
lection that "extras" have been printed in the 
Quaker City on a Sunday, the other occasion 
being the Sunday when I,ee and .Meade were 
fighting the high-water mark Battle of 
Gettysburg. I was then a little shaver, and 
I well recall the intense excitement of the 
people who choked up Chestnut Street to 
hear the latest news. Everybody feared that 
if Lee's army should win that nothing would 
prevent it coming to Philadelphia. 

George Hall, a member of the House from 
the Ninth Ward, was agreed upon by the Re- 
publican State leaders for the Speakership of 
the House of 1879. 

.\ few days, however, before the session 
opened there was a conference of the leaders 
held in the People's Rank, the President of 
which was William H. Kemble, The program 
was there changed, and John M. Long, of 
.\lleghcny, substituted for Hall. The news- 
papers, although on the alert, got no inkling of 
the real cause for this sudden move, hut it 
came out later. It was not known that the 
Pennsylvania Railroad and the Cameron ma- 
chine had decided to put a bill before the Leg- 
islature for the State to compensate the cor- 
poration with four million dollars for damages 
consequental upon the Pittsburg riots. .At all 
events, I went to Harrisburg. and one of the 
first men I met was Mr. Kemble, with whom 
I was well acquainted, ^Ir. Kemble was a 
holy terror to newspaper men, I never knew 
a more profane man. or one more brusque in 
his manners when he wanted to be, I hap- 
pened to be in his special favor, however, by 
reason of the fact that he and my father had 
been boys together in Woodbury, Xew Jersey. 
Kemblc's father had been the old \\'hig boss 
of Gloucester County, of which Woodbury is 
the county seat. When John Xorris was city 
editor of the Record and had in mind the 
breaking in of a new reporter, or the jjunish- 
ment of a derelict one, he would assign him 
to interview Mr. Kemble, who had been a 
State Treasurer of Pennsylvania, and whom 
Editor Dana, of the Xew York Sun, made na- 
tionally famous by quoting from a letter Kem- 
ble had written, significantly recommending a 
politician for the position of the State's agent 
at Washington. "He un<lerstands addition. 



division and silence," he wrt)te. Dana gLil 
possession of this letter when he was .Assistant 
.Secretary of War. The reception the poor re- 
porter would get would never fade from the 
fdms of his memory. Mr. Kemble was glad to 
see me, and asked if I knew (Juav. I replied 
that I did. "Well, you don't know him as you 
ought to know him," he replied, "^'ou come 
to my room in the hotel to-night, and I will 
introduce you properly." 

I was at the roon> at the appointed hour, and 
as I entered I heard Mr. Kemble say to Quay. 
"Well, shall we devote the night to business or 
to pleasure?" I inferred from this that a stiff 
game of poker was in i)rospect. 

"Quay." said Mr. Kemble, "this is Sam Hud- 
son, the son of an old jdaymatc of mine, a 
.Metho<list preacher of Xew Jersey. Xow. 
anything you can do for him I would greatly 
appreciate.'' '"Oh, I know Sam." replied Quay, 
"He is one of the brightest of the lot." After 
a little talk, ]Mr. Kemble requested me to go 
and tind Lish Davis and Captain Skinner, and 
tell them to come to the room. I then knew 
that it was to be a gajne of poker. The mis- 
sion of Mr. Kemble I was not aware of at the 
time, but that evening I learned that he was 
there to head the Pittsburg Riot Bill lobby. 
Quay at that lime was Secretary of the Com- 
monwealth under fiovernor Hoyt. When the 
Legislature organized the next day I received 
a telegram from Col. Clayton McMichael, 
editor of the Xortli .■iiiiericaii. directing me to 
antagonize the Pittsburg Riot Bill and go the 
limit. These instructions distressed me bevond 
measure. I realized that it would bring me 
into direct conflict and antagonism with Mr. 
Kemble, Colonel Quay, Governor Hoyt, and 
the big political guns generally. Under the 
circumstances I thought it was due to Mr, 
Kemble that he should be informed as to my 
attitude on the big game in prospect. He 
was bu.sy on the floor of the House when I 
handed him Colonel ^McMichael's telegram. 
Reading it, he soliloquized thus: "Well, I'll b^ 
dannietl." 

Those were the last words he ever spoke to 
me. He was a vindictive and hate-pursuing 
man. like John Wanamaker. I met him con- 
stantly, but he never spoke, and years after, 
while I was employed on the Record, he would 
meet me in the building on his visits to Mr. 
Singerly. but I was a "dead one " to him. Mr. 
Kemble saw Colonel McMichael, and so did 
the President of the Pennsylvania Railroad 
and other influential persons, and endeavored 
to induce him to change the paper's course to- 
ward the measure, but he sturdily refused. 
Why he antagonized the bill I could never 
learn, either from him or any one else. 

The Xorlh American was classed as a Penn- 
sylvania Railroad paper. It had even gone so 



99 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



far as to vehemently oppose the pipe hue pro- 
ject to bring crude petroleum from the oil 
fields to Philadelphia, and which meant mil- 
lions to the commerce of the port, because the 
Pennsylvania Railroad was opposed to it. 

Kemble established the hcadcjuarters of his 
lobby on Third Street, opposite the State Capi- 
tol in the old Brady house, which he owned, 
and which, before the war, was the great 
rendezvous for the statesmen of Pennsylvania. 
Events so shaped themselves that it became 
apparent that the Riot Bill was to be the para- 
mount question before the Legislature. The 
railroad and the Cameron machine began to 
draw the net and pull the wires, while Kemble 
hired a little band of "barkers" and runners, 
chief of whom were Eniile Petroff, a member 
of the House from the Fifth Ward, Philadel- 
phia, and Charley Salter, a former member 
from the same city. Great opposition was 
aroused both in and out the Legislature, and 
the bill was denounced as an outrageous steal. 
Charles L. Wolfe, a wiry, pugnacious and 
vitriolic member from Union, and George E. 
Mapes, "a lean and hungry Cassius," as he 
might be described, from Venango, were the 
leaders in opposition. The struggle lasted for 
some weeks, and was confined to the House, 
and finally when every man who could be 
reached, either by influence, threats or money, 
had been handled, the bill still lacked two 
votes. The atmosphere was filled with stories 
of bribery, and so acute was the situation that 
only a man of iron nerve would have gone 
over to supply the lacking votes. Fifty 
thousand dollars lay upon a table in a com- 
mittee room of the Capitol building for the 
member who would go in and take it. no one 
witnessing, and then vote for the bill. I con- 
tinued to pour hot-shot into the measure, and 
my matter was extensively copied by the few- 
papers that were also antagonistic. 

I had a friend in the Philadelphia delegation 
named George W. Smith. He had a bone- 
boiling establishment and a prosperous busi- 
ness. He came to me, and said: "Sam. I am 
getting $500 for my vote for the Pittsburg Bill, 
but am offered $500 more if I make a speech 
in its favor. I know you are writing against 
the bill, but won't you get me up a speech, and 
ril commit it to memory and deliver it." I 
wrote the speech, and it possibly was a good 
one. At all events, it made Smith's reputation. 
He had memorized it pat, and I had instructed 
him as to his gestures, and at its conclusion he 
received a round of applause, and got the name 
of "Orator George." Smith's business went to 
the dogs through politics, and later on I got 
him a job in the paid fire denartment through 
William F. McCulIy. a fire commissioner. 

The final vote on the Pittsburg Riot Bill, 
famous in its day as House Bill, No. 103, was 



taken amid intense excitement. Tlie last wire 
had been pulled and the last man bought, and 
those who were on the inside of each side 
knew before the clerk began the momentous 
roll-call that it was lacking two votes. The 
hall of the House was packed to suffocation, 
and ever}' member marked his own roll as the 
vote proceeded. Even Quay had come down 
from the office of Secretary of State to wit- 
ness the final scene of the dramatic struggle. 
Even before the Speaker could announce the 
result the enemies of the measure, elated at 
their success, broke out into a boisterous 
demonstration which Speaker Long, flushed 
of face and exhibiting signs of chagrin and 
aneer, in vain tried to suppress. 

There had been so much scandal and talk 
of bribery in connection with the Kemble 
lobln', Charles Salter. Emile Petroff, Sam 
Josephs. "Fighting Bob" Evans, and Jesse 
Crawford, and so much direct evidence of 
attempted bribery had come to the leaders of 
the opposition, that it was determined that the 
House should be asked to make an investiga- 
tion. Detectives had even been employed to 
procure evidence and shadow Kemble and 
liis agents. The House adopted a resolution 
for a special committee to proceed to an in- 
vestigation. The Taxpayers and Renters' As- 
sociation, of Philadelphia, headed by law^'er 
George H. Earle, had oft'ered rewards for evi- 
dence shov^'ing the corrupt use of money in 
connection with the passage of the bill, and 
was behind the investigation. The Philadel- 
phia City Councils, the largest stockholder of 
the Pennsylvania Railroad, to the extent of 
$3,000,000, had requested by resolution the 
Leg-islature to defeat the bill. 

Dr. Jacob C. Gatchell, a windy lay preacher, 
sawbones and ringster of Lancaster, was 
made chairman of the committee, the choice 
exciting general disgust. The most intense 
interest was aroused all over the State and 
elsewhere by the inquiry. The committee be- 
gan its sessions by privately examining Will- 
iam H. Kemble, the lobby chieftain and agent 
of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The news- 
papers couldn't get his testimony. Quay's 
name had been dragged into the mess, but not 
seriouslv. He had the effrontery to go before 
the committee and make the unheard of re- 
quest that all mention of his name be stricken 
out. This the committee refused to do. The 
drag net was cast and every member of the 
House was compelled to go on the stand and 
tell whether he had been corruptly ap- 
proached. Tt was known that more than one 
man bravelv oerjured himself. Charles L. 
\\'olfe, of Union, and George E. Mapes, of 
^'enango. were the real inquisitors. A. M. 
Roads, of Cumber'and, was the sole Demo- 
cratic member. He was a perpetual stum- 



A Look Back to the Cradle 



23 



bling-block and disgusted the Democrats 
soreiy. Through his conduct tlic Democrats 
were cheated of all glory and party crciht. 
The most dramatic scene of all was when 
the trap snapped and caught Kemble. Men 
turned pale when they heard the evidence of 
Miller, of Snyder, that Kemble had offered 
him $J000 to vote for the bill. It was direct, 
crushing, and conclusive. Xo man in the 
House had a higher standing than Miller. 
He kept his infonnation as tight as Edison 
does the secrets of a new invention before he 
gets his patent. Wolfe didn't even know what 
was coming. It was the testimony of Miller, 
given at the trial in the Dauphin Court, that 
convicted Kemble. and sent him to jail for 
fifteen minutes. Wolfe spared Senator .Simon 
Cameron, his arch enemy. He could have 
shown that Kemble had brought the -Senator 
to Harrisburg to influence members for the 
bill, but he skipped it. The evidence against 
Charles Salter and Emile Petroff. of Phila- 
delphia; \. L. Lcisenring, a bank i>resident 
of Mauch Chunk, and Tesse Crawford. .As- 
sistant Superintendent of Public Grounds, was 
most serious. 

I was a witness before the committee in re- 
lation to the alleged bribery of newspapers to 
advocate the bill. Chris. Magee. whom it was 
charged had manipulated the newspapers, was 
subpenaed to produce his check-book, but he 
kejit under cover, and was not reached. I had 
made the charge in the Philadelphia North 
Auicrican that those newspapers which were 
advocating the Pittsburg grab had been sub- 
sidized. I was not the author of the accusa- 
tion, but took it from a Pittsburg paper, and 
I gave it prominence in the Xorlli American. 
.\i this point I should say. in justice to the 
Philailelphia Ledger, The Press and the Even- 
ing IhiUelin. that they had swung awav finallv 
from the support of the .grab, it having become 
too noisesome for them. All the newspaper 
publishers and editors of Philadelphia were 
brought before the committee. Through the 
courtesy of the latter I was examined bv Col. 
.-\. K. McClure. and gave him the authority for 
luy charge, .-\fter that I declined to be fur- 
ther questioned, on the ground that I would 
not divulge the secrets that had come to me as 
a newspaper man. In this stand I was ap- 
plaiKled. and as a stubborn witness I was dis- 
missed. 

The committee got no information from the 
newspaper men. It was logical that the com- 
mittee should have made two reports. One bv 
Chairman Gatchell was practically a "white- 
wash." and the other by Mr. Wolfe, which 
reconuueilded the prosecution of Messrs. Kem- 
ble. Salter, Evans and Petroff. The latter was 
a member of my Masonic lodge. I would add 
in passing. By a singular coincidence the 



night that I was made a Master Mason of 
Industry Lodge, Xo. 131, of Philadelphia, the 
first vote I was confronted with was upon a 
report that was presented by a committee rec- 
ommending that luuile Petrot'f be e.xpelled for 
conduct unbecoming a Mason. He had used 
the order to gain the confidence of members of 
the Legislature during the Riot Bill struggle as 
sworn testimony showed. I made the request 
to the lodge that I be excused from voting, 
since I had just come into the order. I did 
not feel like kicking an old member out. what- 
ever might have lieen his offense, and par- 
ticularly one who was my friend. The lodge 
granted my request. 

After a struggle the Wolfe report was 
adopted, turned over to the District .\ttorney 
of Dauphin, who, under the lash of the news- 
papers, took prompt action. True bills were 
found by the Grand Jury. The trial far ex- 
ceeded in interest that of the State Capitol 
looters, since it was more sensational and 
bigger people were engaged in and involved in 
it. 1 reported the trial for the Xorth Ameri- 
can. Judge Pierson. a judge of the old school, 
was tile Trial Judge. The State brought in 
as assistants Judge Jeremiah S. Black and the 
famous Senator ^latt Carpenter, of Wisconsin. 
Lewis C. Cassidy. reputed to be one of the 
greatest criminal lawyers in the L'nited States, 
headed the array of coimsel for the defense. 
I remember the day the trial began. I went 
down to breakfast at the old Jones house, and 
I had no sooner been seated than the head 
waiter brought to my table Senator Carpenter. 
I had made his acquaintance in Washington 
while a correspondent there, and he imme- 
diately recognized me. I at once perceived 
that the Senator had been indulging in his pas- 
sion for liquor, which eventually marred his 
brilliant career and shortened his days. He 
said to me. "Mr. Hudson. I had a bad night. 
Would you mind stepping out to a handy drug 
store and getting me a dose of chloral?" This 
I did. and under its effects the Senator magic- 
ally rallied and appeared in court his old self. 
I shall not enter into the details of this memor- 
able trial, which resulted in the conyictiou of 
Kemble. Petroff and Salter. In anticii)ation of 
their conviction. Quay and Simon Cameron 
had induced the Board of Pardons to secretly 
grant them all "previous pardons." 

Pending their sentence, they were removed 
to the county jail and ])laced in cells. The 
mighty Kemble, wrathful and profane, was 
indignant at this treatment. I saw the trio 
in the jail, and my heart felt for them. In 
about fifteen minutes the action of the Par- 
don Board was announced to Judge Pierson 
and the sheriff', and they were liberated. 

The Pittsburg Riot Bill cost the State 
Si 50.000, counting the cost at $5000 per day, 



24 



Pciuisxli'Oiiia ami Its Public Men. 



while it was before the Legislature and in- 
cluding the cost of the investigation and the 
trial. The claims of the cit)' of Pittsburg 
were finally settled for less than $2,000,000, 
which proved that there was a clean steal of 
$2,000,000 contemplated, since the State was 
asked to appropriate $4,000,000. 

The next great struggle at Harrisburg, and 
which took the form of a revolt against the 
Cameroii dynasty, was in 1881. This was 
over the seat of Senator William A. Wal- 
lace, Democrat. I wrote in the Sunday Dis- 
patch, of Philadelphia: "The man to whom 
the future writer of the political history of 
Pennsylvania will give credit for organizing 
this revolt is Charles S. Wolfe. He has 
been the brains of the entire conspiracy. It 
was he who suggested the idea of rebelling, 
while it was Mapes, of Venango, who drilled 
the mutineers and got them into line." 

Wolfe wanted to be a State Senator, but 
Cameron blocked his ambition by apportion- 
ing him out of it. Well do I remember the 
day of the night the senatorial caucus was 
to be held. Harry W. Oliver, the Pittsburg 
iron king, had been slated by the machine. 
The rebellion against him came to the poli- 
ticians and the newspaper men like a thunder 
clap from a cloudless sky. Wolfe and Mapes 
had obtained the signatures of forty-seven 
senators and representatives to an iron-clad 
compact to stand together against Cameron 
and any choice of his for senator until Hades 
froze over. I arrived in Harrisburg on 
Monday morning, and about the middle of the 
afternoon the correspondents learned that a 
mysterious meeting was being held in the big 
dining-room of the Lochiel Hotel. It was 
soon ascertained to be an anti-Cameron cau- 
cus. And then we got busy. The names of 
the recalcitrants were given out, together 
W'ith a manifesto, setting forth the reasons for 
the mutiny and winding up with the declara- 
tion that the forty-seven had pledged them- 
selves to Galusha .\. Grow for Senator. 
There were enough rebels to prevent Oliver 
securing the caucus nomination. And then 
began a struggle which assumed many phases 
and was crowded with lightning changes. 
The battle was terminated abruptly and com- 
promised because the vote of the new Sena- 
tor was required at Washington for the Re- 
publican organization of the United States 
Senate. Had Senator Matt Carpenter, of 
Wisconsin, died one week earlier than he 
did, Simon Cameron would have held the 
fort until the "last horn blew." Mr. James 
McManes, of Philadeli)hia, after he saw that 
Oliver was an impossibility, urged the claims 
of a Quaker City man, and Gen. A. Louden 
Snowden, who was his first choice, could have 
carried off the prize, as he would have been 



acceptable to the recalcitrants had he agreed 
to certain political Cameronian conditions 
which were revolting to his manhood. Mr. 
McManes, who controlled the larger number 
of the Philadelphia delegation, did not fall 
into the compromise plan to relinquish his 
claim for a Philadelphian for senator until 
he had obtained from Senator Cameron a 
concession. The old gas leader was urging 
the nomination of General Hartranft for Col- 
lector of the Port of Philadelphia, and Cam- 
eron was using his influence with President- 
elect Garfield not to favor the nomination. 
He extracted the condition from Senator Cam- 
eron that he would no longer oppose General 
Hartranft's nomination, which would give 
him (Mr. McManes) the control of the Cus- 
tom House, while the Senator should name 
the Postmaster. 

After six weeks of a deadlock, on the 9th 
of February. Henry W. Oliver addressed a 
note to Galusha A. Grow, to the effect that, 
"since he was satisfied that a prolongation of 
the contest would work irreparable injury to 
the party organization, he had determined to 
withdraw his name as a candidate." Simon 
Cameron himself insisted that Oliver should 
quit, as the deadlock was impairing the 
chances of a Pennsylvanian for a portfolio in 
the cabinet under President Garfield. Grow, 
who previously had had a conference with 
Cameron, also withdrew from the field. A 
rump caucus of the Cameron members sub- 
stituted General Beaver for senator, while 
the insurgents, in a stormy caucus, substituted 
Congressman Tom Bayne, of Pittsburg, who 
years after committed suicide, for Grow, but 
the situation was not relieved; in fact, was 
worse than ever. Some of the Independents 
were jealous of Wolfe, and were determined 
that his scheme of bringing the Democrats to 
his support should not succeed. If Wolfe 
could have got the Independents into line for 
himself, the Democrats were prepared to drop 
William A. Wallace and go to him. The 
quarrel was finally adjusted, and a com- 
promise Senator, in the person of Congress- 
man John I. Mitchell, of Tioga, was chosen 
through the medium of a peace connnission, 
numbering twenty-four members of the Leg- 
islature. The story of how Mitchell came to 
strike the prize is an interesting one. At 
eight o'clock the twenty-four peace commis- 
sioners met in a committee room of the Capi- 
tol. It had been mysteriously whispered that 
business might be expected from this session. 
The Independents, however, had got their 
heads together before entering the connnittee 
room, and agreed on four men with which to 
meet the other side if there was a chance of 
settling down upon any one; these were 



A Look JhicIc to the Cradle. 



25 



George Sliiras, John I. .Mitchell, (Ileniii W. 
Scotiekl and Harry White. When the ccini- 
niittee had taken tlieir seats, .Senator Herr, a 
machine heutenant, surprised the bolters by 
making a proposition that each side should re- 
tire and decide upon two or three names as a 
l)asis for a compromise. This was eagerly 
snatched by the Independents and agreed to. 
The Beaver men then retired to an adjoining 
room to talk the matter over. Senator Smith, 
of Philadelphia, stirred the hearts of his col- 
leagues with an appeal for ex-Mayor Henry, 
which is said to have been the "greatest effort 
of his life." Senator Cooper spoke for John 
I. Mitchell, and Hill, of Indiana, presented the 
name of Congressman White; Pollock, of 
Philadelphia, urged the claim of General 
P.inghani. and Moore, of .Allegheny, strongly 
pressed the name of Shiras, Senator Herr 
followed with Judge Strong, The twelve gen- 
tlemen then took three ballots under a resolu- 
tion that the candidate getting the highest 
vote should be the man upon whom they 
should unite. Mitchell secured seven votes on 
the third ballot, and was so selected. The 
Independents, who had also drawn off for de- 
liberation, proceeded directly to business, 
.Senator Lawrence moved that they should 
vote for Shiras on three ballots, and then go 
for the next highest man. This was accejjt- 
able. McKee, of Philadelphia, made an hon- 
est effort for ex-Mayor Henry, saying that he 
could most likely be endorsed by the Phila- 
delphia delegation at their caucus in the morn- 
ing, Xiles. of Tioga, suggested Mitchell, and 
after some further discussion the impromptu 
caucus adjourned with an understanding tliat 
each one should vote on the first ballot for his 
favorite, and then on the second to go to the 
man who had received the largest number of 
votes. The twenty-four peacemakers then re- 
turned to the conference room, to find that the 
correspondents had taken possession of it and 
were playing caucus. The next movements 
were destined to be big with results, .An open 
ballot was agreed upon, and Clerk Wolfe be- 
gan the roll-call. The name of Mr. Billingslv, 
of Washington County, was called first, in al- 
phabetical order; he voted for ^Mitchell, 
Senator Cooper came next ; he voted for 
Mitchell. Billingsly and Cooper were machine 
men. Senator Davies, one of the brainy In- 
dependent leaders, was next called; he voted 
for Mitchell. Thus it went on; an intense 
excitement was aroused, and like a flock of 
sheep after its leader, the whole twenty- four 
rushed to Mitchell as the man who was to 
unlock the deadlock. The scene that then 
came was indescribable. When Wolfe found 
that the end had come, he jumped from his 
chair and yelled, (ieorge Handy Smith leaped 
across the table into the arms of Mapes, of 



X'enango, almost crushing his attenuated 
form. Stewart, Davies and Wolfe, the dis- 
tinguished Independent trio, sprang into each 
other's embrace and danced a hornpipe in one 
corner. Wolfe, in the exuberance of his joy, 
proposed cheers for Pieaver, then for Bavne, 
then for ^litchell. Each was given as from 
men who hailed a ship that was to deliver 
them from a desert island. 

The choice of Mitchell was then ratified 
by the two factional Republican caucuses. an<l 
he was, the next day, elected by the Legisla- 
ture, I wrote thus about Senator Mitchell 
in the Philadelphia Sunday Dispatch at the 
conclusion of the struggle : "John I. Mitch- 
ell makes up in bodily corpulency what he 
lacks in weight of brain. His avoirdupois is 
two hundred pounds, and he is gaining at the 
rate of two pounds per annum. If he so 
should live long enough he will, in time, kick 
the beam at three hundred 'solid.' This is a 
cheerful prospect. It is logic, too. We retain 
the most pleasant recollections of the Hon. 
Mitchell's career in our midst as a member 
of the Legislature. .\n Italian, who keeps 
a peanut stand opposite the Lochiel, tells me 
that he was one of his regular patrons, and 
that he always insisted on full measure. .Also 
that it was his honest conviction, born of 
practical knowledge and experience, that Har- 
risburg was a good peanut town. It is on 
account of this opinion, so freely expressed 
and stoutly maintained, that the' citizens of 
Harrisburg so justly honor the Senator. He 
was fond of taking solitary walks on the 
banks of the romantic and i)icturesr|ue Sus- 
(piehanna. When the whip-poor-will trilled 
her plaintive cry it was his wont to seek the 
river banks and contemplate Nature in her 
calmer moods. It also assisted his digestive 
apparatus. L'pon those occasions, I have been 
reliably informed, his habit was to fortify 
himself against the malarial influences of the 
deceptive stream with quinine an<l whiskey. 
-As far as I can ascertain he quit square' with 
his washerwoman. The Hon. Mitchell is not 
a rich man. This shows that while he has 
been a i)olitician, he has been an honest one. 
If he had been a member of the Gas Trust, 
he might be better otY. It w-as a terrible blow 
to the "boys' that he did not come over from 
Washington and give them a "blow-out.' 
Had the senatorial lightning struck George 
Shiras. Harry Oliver, or the courtly Baker, 
there wouldn't have been a champagne bottle 
left uncorked in the town, while the "drunks" 
before the mayor in the morning would have 
been largely augmented, .A gorgeously- 
framed and life-size portrait of the new Sena- 
tor hangs in the House under the reporter's 
gallery, where it attracts general attention. 



26 



Pciiiisvlc'ajiia and Its Public Men. 



Mitchell can sing' a good song and tell a good 
story. Therefore, he is a good fellow." 

On the night of the day of the senatorial 
mutiny I wrote to the Philadelphia Xorth 
American: "Dating from to-night, there will 
be two Republican parties in Pennsylvania." 
That prophecy was a true one. since in 1S82 
it was followed by the revolt against Cam- 
eron's selection of General Beaver for Gov- 
ernor, and largely the same coterie of lead- 
ers was in it : John Stewart, William T. 
Davies, George E. Mapes, and Charles S. 
Wolfe. This culminated in the nomination 
of John Stewart and a full State ticket at a 
convention held in Horticultural Hall, Phila- 
delphia. 

Robert E. Pattison, who defeated Beaver 
for Governor, was the political creation antl 
the protege of Lewis C. Cassidy. I was in 
this fight up to my neck. Pattison, who was 
then Comptroller of Philadelphia, was fought 
bitterly for the nomination bv the old Wal- 
lace wing of the party, which included ex- 
State Treasurer \\'illiam V. McGrath. Thomas 
A. Barger. and William W. Singerly. of 
Philadelphia. This combination didn't ap- 
proach Mr. Cassidy, however, in political 
sagacity. It used to be a popular saying that 
"whenever you saw Cassidy in a fight it was 
always a winner." Every clerk in the Comp- 
troller's office was a delegate maker, and they, 
with the aid of Mr. Cassidy, got the great 
bulk of the city delegates. I made a great 
many speeches for Mr. Pattison in Philadel- 
phia and Eastern Pennsylvania. Mr. Cassidv, 
who directed the campaign for him, brought 
the bulk of the Catholic vote to his support, 
while Pattison himself, who was the son of a 
distinguished and popular Methodist parson, 
naturally attracted the vote of that denomi- 
nation. We thus had the singular combina- 
tion of the Catholics and the Methodists. 
While Cassidy was bending his energies to 
make Pattison Governor, he was aiming to 
satisfy also the one consuming ambition of 
his life, and that to be an Attorney-General 
of Pennsylvania. This he demanded and re- 
ceived. His enemies, among whom were 
Colonel McClure of the Times, and Sin- 
gerly of the Record, raised a great ruction 
over his confirmation by the Senate. They 
secured for their designing purposes the 
services of Senator Joseph P. Kennedy, a 
weak and struggling young lawyer of Pliila- 
delphia. On the day the cabinet was to be 
confirmed there was intense excitement over 
the f|uestion of whether Kennedy would op- 
pose confirmation in a virile speech which, it 
was understood, had been written for him 
by Colonel McClure. I knew him to be in- 
capable of preparing such a speech, as myself 
and another reporter, William H. Smith, now 



a State Bank E.xaminer. had written the ac- 
ceptance speech which he had read to the dis- 
trict convention that had nominated him in 
Caledonia Hall. 

I saw Mr. Cassidy just before Governor 
Pattison sent in his cabinet nominations, and 
he said to me with great vehemence, "If that 
fellow Kennedy votes for me I shall not 
accept the place." Kennedy did discharge his 
gun, which was a feeble effort, and he cast 
the one vote against confirmation. I enjoyed 
Attorney-General Cassidy's full confidence. 
.-Vt that memorable hot-water session of the 
Legislature, I was also the correspondent of 
the Pittsburg Daily Post, owned by the Barrs, 
and which post Mr. Ca'ssidy secured for me. 
This was the "organ" of the administration, 
as both the Record and the Times in Phila- 
delphia were inimicable and hotly hostile. I 
had the distinction of handling the inside 
news of the administration, and scored many 
fine news beats. It was through the Post 
that Governor Pattison and General Cassidy 
replied to their enemies. 

The Senate of 1883 was the ablest and most 
brilliant in the liistory of the State. It was 
a galaxy of intellectual giants, trained and 
forcible debaters, able parliamentarians and 
heavyweight fighters. Contrasting that re- 
markable body with the Senate of later days, 
it is enough to provoke the gods to cry out 
in anguish. Bills were debated and passed 
upon their merits, and senatorial courtesy 
was not then the rule of the Senate. The 
Republican floor leader was Tom Cooper, of 
Delaware, who was then in the flower of his 
intellectuality and manhood. It was remarked 
of him that he was brave if he saw his army 
behind him. Jack Herr, of Dauphin, was his 
lieutenant, one of the finest talkers of his 
time. The spokesman for the Pattison ad- 
ministration was James Gay Gordon, of Phil- 
adelphia, another one of Cassidv's graduates, 
the youngest man in the Senate, but probably 
the ablest, a fighter from the headwaters, and 
either secretly or openly opposed by several 
of his party associates. At the head of the 
latter was William A. Wallace, of Clearfield, 
who had exchanged a seat in the Senate of 
the L^nited States for one in that of the State, 
and who viciously opposed the nomination of 
Pattison for Governor. He controlled the 
policy of the House, which was Democratic, 
through Speaker John E. Faunce. who was at- 
tached to hi.s faction of the Democracy. Then 
there was James B. Everhart. of Chester, a 
brilliant debater and an enemy of Cameron, 
who had never succeeded in getting his county 
into the clutches of his machine. John G. 
Hall, of the noted fainily of that naine from 
Elk, one of the ablest of the constellation 
and affiliated with Wallace, bore no love for 



A Look !>ack to the Cradle. 



the adiiiinistralion. Lewis Emery. Jr., of 
McKean, an inclepen<leiit Republican and an 
oil man whose mission was to pass a free 
pipe line hill wiiicii the Standard (5il Com- 
pany and the Pennsylvania Railroad opposed. 
John Stewart, of I'ranklin, who had made 
Pattison's election possible, was rejjarded as 
a man of superior attainments who would 
lend dignity to any body, and then there was 
the sj)Iendid lawyer and the intellectual .tjiant. 
Simon P. W'olverton. of Xorthnmberland. 
who i)articii)ated brilliantly in the titanic 
struggles that storm-tossed this parliamentary 
body. Thomas B. .Schnatterly. of b'ayctte, a 
man of much ability and the Beau Brummell 
of the body, was also with the Wallace wing. 
James W. Lee, of \'enango. the lifelong an- 
tagonist of the Standard Oil Company, was 
an invaluable support to Senator (.ordon. a 
man much on the type of Bryan. Louis .\. 
Watres. of Lackawanna, afterward Lieuten- 
ant-Governor, and who was fated to be dis- 
appointed in his ambition of reaching the 
governorship, was one of the .commanding 
forces of the body. Eckley B. Coxe. the 
millionaire coal operator of Luzerne, did not 
participate actively in the parliamentary bat- 
tles, hut he was the most i)0])ular member, 
perhaps. .\ccused of having obtained his 
seat by the lavish use of money and vote pur- 
chase, he resigned and sought and obtained a 
vindication by another election. [ohn E. 
Rcyburn. destined to become a Mayor of 
Philadelphia, was the soecial champion of the 
connnercial interests of his city. He enjoved 
the distinction, with ."Xttorney-General Cas- 
fidy. of refusing to accept a railroad pass, 
preferring to pav fare. Then John M. Greer, 
of Biulcr. a talented lawyer, and the suave 
and fcnial George Handy .Smith, of Phila- 
delphia, completed this now famous collection 
of .State Senators. 

General Cassidy. the premier of the .Admin- 
istration, conceived the play of attempting a 
sensational and legislative reapportionment of 
the State as the Constitution prescribed. This 
led to a prolonged, bitter and unsuccessful 
struggle. The Senate, which was Republican, 
refused at the regidar session to comply with 
the demand of the Governor, who sought to 
force it through an extra session of the Leg- 
islature. The .Administration was .seriously 
handica|)ped by the lack of a friendly news- 
paper in Philadelphia, fieneral Cassidy was 
discussing this subject with me one day. and 
declared that it was one of his desires to pos- 
sess a paper. He made the jjroposition to me 
that, as I Iwd displayed my ability as a writer 
and could be trusted with his confidences to 
the limit, we beein the publication of a 
Sunday paper in F'hiladclphia. .As this was 
in line with my own flesire I felt disposed to- 



ward the idea. The result was that I placeil 
a morlga.ge on a house I owned with which I 
bou.ght the outfit of type, and Air. Cassidy 
gave nie five thousand dollars in promissory 
notes that I could only realize on through an 
outrageous discount. Senator Lewis Emery. 
Jr.. put up $1000. with the condition that the 
pajjer shouUI be anti-Standard and advocate a 
free pipe line law. I then began the publica- 
tion of the Sunday Truth. Without bragga- 
docio 1 can state that it was the best featured 
distinctive Sunday paper the city had ever 
had. Mr. Cassidy furnished much of the am- 
munition and 1 fired it. Senator Gordon 
wrote editorials for it. and we aimed our guns 
at the Senate, which stubbornly refused to 
accede to the .Administration's demand that 
the Constitution be obeyed and the State reap- 
portioned. The success of the Siiiuiay Truth 
was marred by the Central News Company, 
the distributing agency, which had entered 
upon the task of killing otY the weekly Sunday 
papers in the interest of the dailies, which be- 
gan to print seven days in the week. Every 
handicap the fertile mind of a deformed per- 
son named O'Brien, who was the manager, 
could conceive was resorted to. One Sunday 
all the papers would be sent uptown and 
downtown lie unsupplied. Then this w-as re- 
versed. I'.undles containing hundreds of pa- 
pers would be thrown under the counter, and 
and the newsdealers told that there were none. 
Air. Cassidy stormed and swore, and even 
went to the .Archbishop and got him to inter- 
cede with O'Brien. He even prepared a bill 
making an agency for the distribution of 
papers a common-carrier, so that be could sue 
it. but could not convince himself of its con- 
stitutionality. On top of that we were being 
devoured by the Typographical Union, the 
type-setting machines not having been then in- 
vented. .\t the end of seven months I went 
to Mr. Cassidy and admitted that it would be 
impossible for us to break in. and advised that, 
as we did not owe a cent, we could <|uit with 
honor, and we did. I was thus thrown out of 
a job. Mr. Cassidy then proposed to make me 
a real estate assessor, but I toUl him that 1 
preferred to remain in my profession. John 
Xorris. city editor of the Record, then again 
oti'ered me a position, which I accepted, and 
subse<|uently became its Xew Jersey editor. 
.\t the same time. I began to write the local 
])olitics for Col. Thomas I'itzgerald's Item. 
I threw breeze and piquancy, and. possibly, 
humor into the work, and the political cohunn 
became a great feature. One day the Colonel 
knocked the breath out of me by insisting that 
I give him a colunni of political paragraphs 
each day for the Item, "^'ou can do it." he 
declared, and I undertook it. and one day 
thereafter he demanded two columns a day, 



28 



Pcmisyhaiiia ami Its I'liblic Men. 



and he got them. 1 can fairly say that "The 
World of Politics" gave the Item not only a 
circulation, but a reputation throughout the 
country. Since 1883, with two short intervals. 
I have furnished political copy for the Item 
every day in the year but two, Christmas and 
the Fourth of July, and I lay claim to the dis- 
tinction of having written more newspaper 
paragraphs than any man that ever lived. 
While employed on the Record and Item I 
still had the hankering of having a paper of 
my own, and about 1890 started a juvenile 
monthly with the name of the American Boy. 
I was getting along good with it when I was 
induced by a firm of printers to turn it into a 
weekly, and again the club of the Central 
News came down on me, and a second experi- 
ence like that of the Sunday Truth was my 
portion. I always claimed that bribery was 
employed in this 'case to kill off a rival, and a 
possible competitor. 

I began the movement in the Philadelphia 
Item for dollar gas. This campaign extended 
over only a few months and was responded 
to by the people with alacrity. They held 
meetings and brought their influence to bear 
upon the Councilmen. My articles kept them 
jack-screwed up and the final outcome w.as 
the passage of the Crowell Bill and dollar 
gas becoming a fixed fact. And so with 
the war against the arrogant and extravagant 
Commission for the erection of the City Hall. 
Both in the Evening Bulletin and the Item I 
exposed the methods of the Commission's 
"inside ring." After years of agitation and 
effort on the part of the people to throw over 
this hated Commission, which contemplated 
an extension of its life by adding two more 
stories to the "City Hall" (or the soubriquet 
that I gave to it, "The House of a Thousand 
Troubles"), Boies Penrose, while a State 
Senator, finally suceeded, in 1891, in passing 
a bill through' the Legislature, repealing the 
law under which it operated. The Commis- 
sion bitterly fought this repealer. I repre- 
sented the Philadelphia Bulletin at Harris- 
burg, and practically was the only corre- 
spondent who gave Senator Penrose news- 
paper assistance. I was such a thorn in the 
side of John L. Hill, who headed his own 
lobby, that a plot was hatched to do me vio- 
lence. This was frustrated, however, by a 
Philadelphia member, a warm friend of mine, 
who accidentally learned of w'hat was going 
on. After the House adjourned in the after- 
noon he came to me and said : "Will you 
promise me something?" "H it be in my 
power," I replied. "Will yon consent to be my 
companion from now until you go to bed to- 
night and ask no questions?" Instinctively 
surmising that something was in the wind. 



I consented, and we dined and spent the even- 
ing together. Two or three times I was ap- 
proached to make a little tour of pleasure, 
and each time my friend gave me the wink 
and I declined. When he saw me go to bed 
in my hotel and told me to answer no 
summons or to admit no one, he told me 
that it was the intention to inveigle me to 
a certain place and beat me up. After 
the great fight was over and victory had 
perched upon the banner of Senator Penrose, 
be said: "Johnny Hill has been paying the 
other fellows handsomely and you have had 
nothing for your work. I want you to take 
this order on my tailors and rig yourself out 
in the finest one hundred dollar suit of 
clothes that they can make." I always called 
that the Penrose suit, and I could never wear 
it out. 

I was a correspondent at Washington when 
the great campaign of 1896 approached, and 
was quick to realize the wondrous growth of 
the public sentiment in the South and West 
in favor of silver. In my letters to the Phila- 
delphia Item I prophesied that the free silver 
wing of the Democracy would control the 
National Convention, and on my visits to 
Philadelphia was laughed to scorn by the 
politicians. I was in the full confidence of 
the silver leaders: Bland, Stewart, DuBois, 
Teller, Towne, and Bryan, and gave the news 
as to the silver movement from first hands. 
The Chicago Convention justified my predic- 
tions, and in another article I show that had 
I been quick witted, I could have beaten 
every newspaper man in the United States 
in predicting the nomination of Mr. Bryan. 
In that Convention my seat was next to that 
of the famous "Boss" Hessing, of Chicago, 
and I recall that at the conclusion of the 
remarkable "crown of thorn and cross of 
gold" speech of Mr. Bryan, and while the 
vast audience still sat spell-bound under the 
influence of his wondrous oratory, Mr. Hess- 
ing slapped the desk and remarked to me, 
in disgust, "That speech is going to nominate 
the crazy fool." And it was even so. 

Somehow or another I then came to be 
recognized as the Bryan or free silver leader 
of Philadelphia. I was a resident of the old 
■Sam Randall Congressional District, and 
without anv suggestion or thought upon my 
part, the Xational silver leaders in Washing- 
ton decided to run me for Congress against 
William McAleer, gold Democrat. This 
nomination came to me as a complete sur- 
prise. Knowine that I would have the back- 
ing of the Philadelphia Item, wdiich I had 
carried over to the free silver forces, I con- 
sented to make the contest. I used to say 
that T made that campaign on a five-dollar 
bill and a keg of beer. At all events it was 



A Look JJiiik' to llic Cradle. 



29 



one of the most pictures(|ue aiul uiii(|ue iio- 
iitical fights the city of l^hiladelphia has ever 
witnessetl. My halls were always packed 
with people. I was confrontetl with unstinteil 
money, the antagonism of the saloon interest, 
a small army of Mr. Mc.Vleer's Federal em- 
ployees, and the hostility of the police and 
the thug element. Mr. Mc.Meer had his ene- 
mies in his own party, however, chief of 
whom were Peter ^Ionroc in the Third, and 
Jim Henry, in the Fourth Wards. Frederick 
llalternian was the Republican candidate, it 
thus being a three-cornered fight. The Re- 
l)ublican ward leaders, however, were dis- 
loyal to Haltcrman. and had been "fixed" by 
the Mc.-Mecr Committee. The only glint of 
hope of any sort of show for me laid in the 
disruption of the Republican party, it having 
split on the Quay issue and each faction hav- 
ing in the field a candidate for Sheriff. The 
Comjiine and anti-Combine struggle was on 
with David Martin. David H. Lane and 
Charles .-\. Porter leading the Combine, and 
Israel W. Durham and Senator Penrose 
heading the anti-Combiners. My supporters 
were pressing me for |)oll-tax receipts, and 
I hadn't the money to purchase them. I then 
went to Mr. Lane and. under the condition 
that my friends would keep out of the sher- 
itTs fight and that I would make no deal 
with Durham, he gave me 2500 tax receipts 
which, at the time, I did not know were bogus. 
They were not questioned, however. In the 
meantime T was not then aware that I had 
treachery in my own camp. The personal 
enemies of Mc.Meer. believing that it was 
more possible to defeat Mc.Aleer with Halter- 
man than with me. secretly arranged to sup- 
port him. The election of Xovember, lSg6. 
in the Third District of Philadelphia, as well 
as elsewhere, was the greatest carnival of 
fraud the world has nossibly ever witnessed. 
T had personally informed election officers 
and declared in my speeches that if I was to 
be ''rough-housed" and my vote stolen, that 
I would contest the election. I was given 
credit with the polling of about 2200 votes. 
They had been piled in so stronglv for me 
that they couldn't steal them all. which was 
the intention to do, so as to discredit the 
trouble that T had threatened to make. It was 
not until afterward that I learned that a re- 
peater had been at work all day for me, and 
that some of my votes were fraudulent. .-\ 
bum printer, who had had a "sit" on mv 
Sunday Truth, came to me and said : ".Sam, 
I tried to do you a good turn on election 
day. I started in the morning," he continued, 
'■from a saloon on Locust Street belr)w 
Eighth, with a party to repeat through the 
Third District for ^Ic.\leer and Miles, and 
I want to say that every bugie ballot T cast 



1 marked one u|) for you for Congress." The 
evidence and proofs and stories of fraud 
were so glaring and scandalous that I deter- 
mined to make good my word that if I was 
ill-treated. I wotdd cf)ntest the election. I 
had no hope of gaining the seat myself, but 
but as there was a Republican Congress and 
Mr. Mc.Meer was a Democrat, I hoped to 
gain the seat for Mr. llalternian. 

In the meantime. Peter Monroe and myself 
had several interviews with Mr. Ilalterman 
for the purpose of influencing him to make 
the contest, but he said he was too old to un- 
dertake its bother. He offered to assist in 
financing it, however, which he did. T then 
went ahead and retained C. Oscar I'easley. 
Es(]., as my counsel, and James Randall, a 
political detective, for chief of the investiga- 
tion bureau, and also the Pinkerton detectives. 
We filed our notice of contest under the law. 
and then made application to the Court for 
the impounding of the ballot boxes. It was a 
word from Mr. James McManes tr) a certain 
Judge that got them impounded for uie. This 
was the first realization on the part of Mr. 
Mc.-\leer that the situation was serious, and 
he engaged an array of counsel, headed by the 
late Judge McCarthy and George Mcfjowan. 
In the meantime, .\llan B. Rorke. the builder, 
and Mr. James McManes. the old Cas Tru>t 
chieftain, both gave me handsome checks for 
the ex|)enses of the contest. They were anti- 
Combiners, and desired to ascertain the ex- 
tent that -Alexander Crow, Jr,, the successful 
anti-Combine candidate for Sheriff, had been 
robbed in the district. 

We had gathered a mountain of evidence, 
and had we been able to have presented it, to- 
gether with the silent stories the ballot bo.xcs 
would have told, the politics of Philadelphia 
and Pennsylvania woidd have been revolu- 
tionized. In the meantime, I went to Joel I. 
Baily. Rudolph P.lankenburg and other con- 
spicuous reformers and begged their assist- 
ance, pointing out to them that here was a 
chance to strike a blow at the notorious pollu- 
tion of the ballot box in Philadelphia, and end 
for a time at least the burning shame, but 
they turned a deaf ear to the pleading, and 
from that time henceforth I have looked 
with derision upon the noisy pretentions and 
mouthiugs of so-called professional reformers. 
When we were prepared to take testimony be- 
fore a commissioner I visited Frank M. Riter. 
Director of Public Safety, and made the re- 
()uest for police protection. This he refused. 
We began to take testimony in an office build- 
ing at Sixth and Library Streets, and were at 
once beset by a horde of strong armed men. 
thugs, heelers and other vile creatures, who 
not only threatened my counsel and myself 
with physical violence, discharged firearms. 



30 



Pciinsvli'ania and Its Public Men. 



but threw every obstacle in the way of taking 
testimony. Another appeal to Director Riter 
failed, and if murder had been done the blame 
would have licen upon his head. It is need- 
less to state that Director Riter was also a 
reformer. The prosecution of the contest in 
Philadelphia for the time was abandoned, and 
the whole matter referred to Congress, with 
the request that a sub-committee he sent to 
Philadelphia to take testimony. This was re- 
fused by the Committee on Elections No. 2. 
which reported in favor of Mr. McAleer re- 
taining the seat. It was the opinion of promi- 
nent members of Congress that had my case 
come up from the South that Congress would 
have been quick to act, and so fearful were 
the Republicans that these Philadelphia elec- 
tion frauds would be uncovered that Senator 
Quay and Speaker Reed personally advised 
against the committee listening to my appeal. 
However, Mr. McAleer and myself were 
given $2500 each for the expenses of the con- 
test by Congress. This contest, I am happy 
to state, never interrupted the pleasant, if not 
cordial, personal relations between us, and 
which exists to this day. 

Senator Quay sent his State Senatorial 
Committee to Philadelphia to Lexow the police 
department in 1897 and investigate the sub- 
ject of the police in politics. I appeared be- 
fore it, and gave an outline of how the police 
had partisanly acted in the November election 
of 1S96, when I was a candidate for Congress. 
I refrained, however, from producing proofs 
that I had gathered, on the ground that it 
might effect my contest before Congress. 
This Lexow investigation was a "frost," and 
was abandoned by Quay for sonie political or 
inscrutable reason, and again did Philadel- 
phia escape from having her lid taken off. 

In 1894, in conjunction with William R. 
Bell, a Pennsylvanian and a Washington cor- 
respondent, I leased the Times, a moribund 
morning paper of Scranton, Aside from the 
desire of establishing ourselves in business 
there was another reason for embarking on 
this enterprise. Janies Kerr w-as clerk of the 
National House of Representatives, and be- 
ing anxious that the next House should be 
Democratic he wanted votes wherever he 
could get them. He believed that with the 
Ti)nes conducted vigorously we could defeat 
the Hon. Joseph Scranton in the Lackawanna 
District. A pool was raised for us. Col. James 
M. (iuffey and James Kerr each contributing 
$2000, the Hon, Joseph C. Sib'ey $1000, 
and an Elmira friend of the Hon. David B. 
Hill $1000. Senator Hill was a candidate for 
Governor of New York, and the Times' cir- 
culation extended into its northern counties. 
I brought the price of the Times down to one 
cent, and thus gave the Lackawanna and the 



Wyoming \'alleys their first morning paper 
sold for one cent. The full report of the 
Associated Press with a special wire ran into 
the office was taken, and an artist employed, 
and Captain Brady, an old and experienced 
Washington correspondent, was added to the 
staff. We certainly did shake up the politics 
of that county. The election of a Democratic 
Sheriff was essential to us from a patronage 
point of view, and our efforts were directed to 
that end, as well as the defeat of Mr, Scran- 
ton, I formed many pleasant associations in 
Scranton, and will always hold my residence 
there in pleasant remembrance. We lost our 
candidate for Sheriff' by a few votes, and Mr. 
Scranton was elected by a small majority. I 
realized that I had the wrong man in my part- 
ner, Mr. Bell. He was red-headed, vindictive 
and fiery, and made too many enemies. He 
was also lacking in business qualifications, 
which I had feared from the start. I finally 
succeeded in inducing him to change the 
Times from a morning into an afternoon 
paper, but our capital was then nearly ex- 
hausted and I became discouraged and home- 
sick, and left Mr. Bell in possession, returning 
to Philadelphia, I can add, however, that the 
Times came into the possession of Mr. E. J. 
Lynett, who has made it one of the most pros- 
perous and influential dailies in the State. 

I have met or been friendly with nearly all 
the National and Pennsylvania State charac- 
ters who strode the public boards during the 
last thirty-five years, from Presidents down. 
My experience has been that the greater the 
character the more democratic and approach- 
able he is. I have seen in the State the 
dynasty of Simon Cameron pass to that of 
Quay and from Quay to Penrose. In Phila- 
delphia I have witnessed a moving picture 
show of passing leaders, combinations and 
control, the rise and fall of reform move- 
ments, all the latter crumbling from their 
impracticabilities, personal bickerings, jealous- 
ies and thirst for office. I have seen the 
canker of the Civil Service, which I have op- 
posed from the time "Gentleman" George 
Pendleton introduced his bill into Congress, 
destroying party fervor, patriotism and public 
spirit, and placed politics upon a plane of 
commercialism and hypocrisy. I have seen the 
advent of the Australian ballot system, the 
greatest engine of destruction ever invented 
by the reformers of reform, and the introduc- 
tion through the Constitution of 1774 of 
minority representation, which has corrupted 
and demoralized and practically destroyed the 
Democratic party of Pennsylvania. 

In igoo I became imbued again with the 
malady to control my own paper, and pur- 
chased Taggart's Sunday Times of Philadel- 
]ihia, which was run down at the heel, 1:)eliev- 



A Look J>ack to the Cradle. 



31 



ing there was an opening for one Dcniocrntic 
paper in that city. Anil again I ran against 
the mailed hand of my old arch enemy, the 
Central Xews Company, which refused the 
paper "a square deal" and employed the old 
tactics that had succeeded in killing my Sun- 
day Tnitli and the .■imrilcaii Boy. If it had 
not been for the crumbs of patronage I re- 
ceived from a friendly Republican city ad- 
ministration, that of Mayor Ashbridge. I 
would have starved to death. Had Bryan 
won in 1900. as I had hoped, things might 
have been different. 

-After the experience with the .'iiiiulay 
Times I reached the sage conclusion that I 
was never fated to own or control a news- 
paper of my own. and began preparations to 
abandon a profession that was growing daily 
more irksome and distasteful to me. The 
same spirit of connnercialism that now ani- 
mates politics has extended to the newspaper 
business. The Wanamakers and the Hearsts 
and the Munseys. all intruders, and "not to 
the manor born." have cast a withering blight 
upon an honorable profession to which it was 
once an honor to be attached. The use of 
the press as an engine to advance the political 
fortunes of the owner, or the purveyor of his 
hate and vindictiveness, or to fill his strong 
box, has degraded and pauperized its useful- 
ness. I thank God my necessities have never 
compelled me to hire my pen for such as 
these. The profession has filled up with irre- 
sponsible hoys and with men who have failed 
in everything else, many of whom are with- 
out honor or conscience, or experience, or 
ability, and eke a livelihood from a wage that 
is on the descending scale. 

In l8c)8 I was the candidate of the Demo- 
cratic and Citizens' McKinley Partv for State 
Senator in the Second District of Philadel- 
phia. The latter was Quay's party, when 
Quay was a political out-rider • and bush- 
whacker in Philadelphia. George W". Holz- 
worth was the David Martin or anti-Quav 
c.Tudidatc. With the Democratic line kept 



reasonably steady I figured out that Durham 
could throw me the votes to elect nie, and 
if so, that if elected I would vote for Quay 
for Senator, since we had always been 
friendly and my symjiathies were with him 
anyhow, I saw him at his cottage at .At- 
lantic City on a Sunday, and made the propo- 
sition to him. I tried to convince him tliat 
Martin was picking up a Senator from his 
own pasture lot, and that Martin would 
throw Holzworth's vote against him. He 
appeared to take kindh' to the suggestion, 
and said he would give me an answer in the 
morning at Durham's office in the Betz Build- 
ing. :\t that meeting he told me that Martin 
would be all right ; that he was trusting him 
implicitly and. thanking me for the offer, 
declined to enter into a deal. And that was 
one of the lilunders of his political career: 
since if he hacl had my vote what would it 
not have saved him in anguish of mind and 
financial cost and loss of i)restige? It was 
not until an hour before the memorable sena- 
torial caucus which was to decide his fate, in 
1899. that he made the discovery that David 
Martin was his enemy and would oppose him 
and that information was taken to him bv 
his own son. He then believed it. When I 
learned that certain Democratic leaders were 
to receive a stake for knifing me at the polls. 
I upset their ca!culatif)iis by resigning from 
the ticket. 

I have but one child. Mabel, who wedded 
John Callen O'Loughlin, of the District of 
Columbia, whose father was in the navv. He 
develo|)ed into one of the most distinguished 
newspaper men of the country, and saw serv- 
ice in his profession in London. Paris, and 
.St. Petersburg. He was sent on important 
secret missions abroad by President Roose- 
velt, who finally honored him with the ap- 
pointment of Assistant Secretary of -State, a 
distinction. I believe, that had never before 
fallen to the lot of so young a man. he being 
but thirtv-four years of age. 



32 



Pcnitsxiz'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



Hon. Boies Penrose 

Boies Penrose has lived his larger career 
during a senietic period of Pennsylvania 
politics, when conditions were such as to rob 
him of much credit due him. misguide the 
people as to his commanrling natural abilities, 




and cast a shadow upon the moral side of his 
character. The pen of the reptilian writer 
and the pencil of the unscrupulous cartoonist, 
both hired Hessians of free-spending men, 
disappointed and soured in their political am- 
bitions, but parading on public view hypo- 
critical moralities, have been brought into 
play, aided and abetted by the black tongue of 
scandal to discredit him, and consummate his 
political destruction. 

,\ colleague and chief of staff of the Hon, 
Matthew Stanley Quay, he shared with him 
in the fierce and cyclonic assaults made upon 
Quay personally, and upon the political ma- 
chine system which the latter inherited from 
Simon Cameron. The first Philadelphian to 
sit in the United States Senate since George 
M. Dallas, in 1833. it is singular that his arch 
traducers and most malevolent enemies should 
have been Philadeli)hians or imports thereof. 

But notwithstanding the plottings of a con- 
cealed or an open foe and of the streams of 
vituperation and malice belched from a hos- 
tile press, Senator Penrose stands forth to-day 
the most powerful political leader in the 



United States, the only one, in fact, who con- 
trols absolutely the political machinery of his 
own State, and that commonwealth the sec- 
ond in the constellation of States. 

Boies Penrose is the youngest man Penn- 
sylvania ever sent to the Senate of the United 
States, a distinction in itself. Upon the death 
of Senator Quay he fell heir to his political 
estate and the powerful organization that he 
had developed and strengthened after receiv- 
ing it from the hands of Cameron, and so skill- 
ful, adroit, and popular has been his leadership 
that it is to-day stronger, smoother running, 
and more invincible than under either Cam- 
eron, its founder, or Quay, to whom it was 
bequeathed. Under his direction the Repub- 
lican party has suffered but one defeat, and 
that of Plunnner, for State Treasurer, in the 
revolutionary year of 1905, while Quay lost 
two governors in his time. It stood like the 
Rock of Gibraltar even in the face of the 
gigantic plunderings and scandal of the new 
State Capitol, which would have submerged 
any party in any other State, 

About to enter upon his third term in the 
Senate, he occupies a position of power in 
that body inferior now only to that of Aldrich 
of Rhode Island, who, in the course of time, 
he is destined to succeed in leadership. Never 
known as a speech-making Senator, it is 
known that he possesses oratorical abilities 
of a high order, supplemented with a brilliant 
intellect and a liberal education. The real 
leaders of great parliamentary bodies are not 
now its orators, and they speak only when 
occasion necessitates. 

Senator Penrose is a product of the oldest 
and best colonial stock. His paternal grand- 
father was Charles Bingham Penrose, con- 
spicuous in the middle half of the last cen- 
tury as a lawyer and a politician. He was a 
State Senator from the district embracing 
Cumberland and Perry Counties. He was ap- 
pointed by the first Harrison to be Solicitor 
of the United States Treasury. His ances- 
tral stock, on his father's side, teams with 
honored and distinguished names. He is not 
only a direct descendant of the New England 
puritans through his mother, but also through 
her is a direct descendant of Phillip Thomas, 
private secretary of Lord Baltimore, founder 
of the State of Maryland, and also of Col, 
Samuel Chew, Both Phillip Thomas and 
Colonel Chew, the ancestor of Chief Justice 
Chew, of Pennsylvania, were members of the 
Governor's Council of the Province of Mary- 
land. Governor Dudley, conspicuous among 
the earlv Massachusetts colonists, was a direct 
maternal ancestor of Senator Penrose. 

Boies Penrose was born at No, 131 1 Spruce 
Street, Philadelphia, November i, i860, and 
is the son of Dr, Richard .\, E, Penrose, who 



l'ciiiisYl:-aiiia and lis I'lihlic Men. 



33 



was a professor in the Medical iJepartniont 
of tiie University of Pennsylvania, and Sarah 
Hanna Boies. He is one of seven sons, all 
of whom distinguished themselves in the pro- 
fessions. His preliminary education was ac- 
quired at the Episcopal .\cadeniy in I'hiiadel- 
phia, and by private tutors. At the early age 
of sixteen he was fitted to enter Harvard 
College, and was graduated in iSSi, one of 
the five honor men of a class of 250. He 
began the study of law in the offices of the 
Hon. Wayne McN'cigh, Attorney General in 
the Cabinet of President Ciarfield, and George 
Tucker liispham. Professor of Law in tlie 
University of Pennsylvania. In 18S3 came 
his admission to the bar, and soon after he 
entered into partnership with S. Davis Page 
and Edward P. Allison, the firm being Page, 
Allison & Penrose. While a law student the 
coming Senator began to take an active in- 
terest in politics in the Eighth \\ ard, and at 
first identified himself with the reform move- 
ment which was popular at that time. He 
came back into the regular organization from 
this little excursion, and his abilities and the 
prominence of his family suggested him to 
Magistrate R. R. Smith, the leader of the 
ward, who recommended him to Senator Quay 
as an available candidate for the Legislature 
in 1SS4. He was nominated and elected, suc- 
ceeding William C. Bullitt, the son of the 
father of the Bullitt City Charter, who had 
sought a scat in the Legislature to urge the 
passage of the new charter. He voted for J. 
Donald Cameron, at the session of 1885. for 
United States Senator, to succeed the father, 
and he took up the task of passing the charter 
which had been left unfinished by Mr. Bullitt. 
In 18S4 he was elected to the State Senate 
from the Sixth District, embracing the great 
financial and wholesale section of the city, 
and succeeding the Hon. Robert -Adams. He 
voted for M. S. Quay for United States Sena- 
tor at this, his first session in 1887, having 
seconded his nomination in the Republican 
caucus. 

The rising young statesman had no inten- 
tion of playing the part of a wall flower Sena- 
tor, and so participated actively in the debates, 
particularly on questions effecting Philadel- 
phia and railroad discrimination, which was 
an issue of the time. During his service in 
the Legislature Senator Penrose was the au- 
thor of many enactments, particularly in the 
interests of the wage earner, whose special 
champion he was. His crowning work was 
the repeal of the law creating the commission 
for the erection of the Philadelphia City Hall. 
The wiping out of this body which had made 
itself obnoxious to the people, he considered 
in the light of a political necessity. .\t the 
request of the faculty of the Johns Hopkins 

3 



L'niversity, in 1886, in collaboration with his 
partner, Mr. .Mlison, Senator Penrose wrote 
a history of the "Government of the City of 
Phihulelphia." It was in the preparation of 
this work that the two authors discovered the 
first charter of Philadelphia, probably one of 
the iiKJSt interesting and important discoveries 
of an original document of local history made 
in many years. 

At the time of Senator Quay's death, in 
1904. Mr. Penrose was serving bis first term 
as Chairman of the Republican State Com- 
mittee, and through the law of political gravi- 
tation, or the law of possession, he succeeded 
to the leadership of the Republican State Or- 
ganization. He continued as Stale Chairman 
until 1906. when be was succeeded by Col. 
W. R. Andrews, his private secretary. Also 
upon the death of Senator Quay, Mr. Penrose 
was elected to his place as a member of the 
Republican National Committee. He served 
as a delegate to the Republican National Con- 
ventions of 1900. 1904, and 1908. .At the two 
last conventions his name was under serious 
consideration for National Chairman, and in 
the campaign of looS he was the leading ad- 
viser and assistant of Chairman Hitchcock 
at the National Headquarters in New ^'ork. 
Experienced in practical politics and cam- 
paigning, be contributed largely to the triumph 
of the Taft and Sherman ticket. 

The term of Senator J. Donald Cameron 
expiring in 1897, the selection of a Philadel- 
phian to succeed him was urgently pressed 
upon Senator Quay, who was then, by the 
retirement of Senator Cameron, the undis- 
puted leader of his party in the State. The 
most persistent of those who made this de- 
mand was Israel W. Durham, the strong and 
pojjular leader of the Philadelphia organiza- 
tion. Penrose had been defeated by a con- 
spiracy for the mayoralty of Philadelphia, 
and bis friends were anxious to condone that 
disappointment through this opening for a 
rreater .'<nil a more brilliant career. More- 
over, Philadelphia was justly entitled to the 
Senatorsbip, not having had it since 1833. 
Senator Quay finally yielded and threw the 
great weight of bis support to the candidacy of 
Mr. Penrose, while there was a general ac- 
quiescence in the recognition of Philadelphia's 
claim. Boies Penrose was then elected a 
L'niled States Senator at the legislative ses- 
sion of 1897. and was then but little more 
than thirty-seven years of age. It is rare 
that a man so young thus obtains this great 
honor. The election of so young a colleague 
was a boon to Senator Quay, as he cheer- 
fully vohmteered to relieve him of the bulk 
of the routine work that necessarily falls to 
the lot of a Senator in the position which 
Senator Quav held. 



34 



Pciiitsxii'ania and Its Public Men. 



Hon. George T. Oliver 

George Toner Oliver was elected by the 
Legislature of 1909 to be United States Sena- 
tor to fill the unexpired term of Philander C. 
Knox, who resigned to accept a seat in the 
cabinet of President Taft. Thus after a quar- 




ter of a century from the time of the failure 
of Harry W. Oliver to obtain an election as 
Senator because of party schism and revolt 
at the domination of Simon Cameron, his 
younger and distinguished brother, George T., 
secured the seat with practically universal 
party approval and amid peaceful surround- 
ings. Mr. Oliver has been a lawyer, a manu- 
facturer, a newspaper owner and director, and 
a politician. In all these parts he has not only 
been successful, but has distinguished himself. 
The name of the Oliver Brothers, as Pitts- 
burg iron and steel manufacturers, had a repu- 
tation that was world wide. Harry W. Oliver, 
Jr., the founder of the great business, started 
life as a messenger for a manufacturing con- 
cern in Pittsburg. He then borrowed capital 
and developed the making of certain brands 
of iron used in the manufacture of hardware, 
and in which he enjoyed a monopoly. The 
father of the Olivers was an enterprising 
Irishman of Allegheny City, who made a heap 
of money from government contracts during 
the Rebellion. He was a Bourbon Democrat 
and a noted story-teller. It was during a visit 
with his wife to his old home in Ireland that 
George T. was born. That was January 26, 



1848. The elder Oliver possessed the means to 
give the children excellent educational advan- 
tages, and George, after going through the 
public schools, was sent to Hill Academy, 
West Middletown, Pennsylvania, and to Beth- 
any College, West \'irginia, whercfrom he 
graduated in 1868. He then entered upon the 
study of the law, and was admitted to prac- 
tice in 1871. After an active and successful 
career with civil law as his specialty, he re- 
tired and became identified with his brother, 
Harry W., in the large metal enterprises. 

He was First Vice-President and afterward 
President of the Oliver Wire Company until 
that company disposed of its plants in 1899. 
In 1889 he became President of the Hains- 
worth Steel Company and retained that posi- 
tion until its merger with the Oliver & Snyder 
Steel Company in 1897, of which he was Pres- 
ident, until he disposed of his interest in the 
concern in 1901. 

Like his brother, George T. Oliver drifted 
into politics and took the side of Quay as 
opposed to the interests of Chris. Magee in the 
political affairs of Allegheny County. After 
the death of Quay he transferred his alle- 
giance to Senator Penrose, and is his recog- 
nized lieutenant in Western Pennsylvania. 

In 1880 Mr. Oliver became owner of the 
Pittsburg Gazette, which was the oldest news- 
paper published west of the Alleghenys, and 
later in the same year he acquired the con- 
trolling interest in the Pittsburg Chronicle- 
Telegraph, the oldest newspaper in Pittsburg. 

Upon the death of Chris. Magee, in 1906. 
the largest owner of the Pittsburg Times, the 
latter was merged with the Gazette, and both 
are now published under the name of The 
Gazette-Times. Mr. Oliver is still the prin- 
cipal owner of both papers. 

He is also President of the Youngstown 
Car Manufacturing Company, at Youngstown, 
O., and is connected as a director with several 
financial and industrial corporations in Pitts- 
burg. 

Mr. Oliver has always been an earnest, 
active Republican, but has never held public 
office except that of President of the Central 
Board of Education in Pittsburg, which posi- 
tion he occupied from 1881 to 1884, when he 
resigned. 

He was Presidential Elector in 1884, and 
was delegate to the Republican National Con- 
vention in 1904. He is President of the 
Duqucsne Club of Pittsburg. He married 
Miss Mary Kountze, of Omaha, Neb., and has 
six children living, his two eldest sons being 
actively engaged in the management of his 
newspapers. 

Depew of the American militia : "Invinci- 
ble in peace and invisible in war." 



Pcintsyli'aiiia and Irs Piihlic Men. 



35 




Hon. Edwin S. Stuart 

Governor of Pennsylvania 



Edwin Sydney Stuart was born in Piiila- 
delphia. Pa., December 28, 1853, of Scotch- 
Irisb parentage. Mis early education was ac- 
quired at tbe Southwest (iraniniar School of 
his native cit)'. When 13 years of age he 
secured a position as errand boy in a Phila- 
delphia book-store, for which he subsequently 
became salesman, anil later on advanced to 
buyer and general manager of the business, 
and in 1876 he purchased a controlling in- 
terest. 

His entry into politics was made in the 
Garfield campaign in 1880. He joined the 
^'oung Republicans of Philadelphia, which 
was organized that year, and was appointed 
quartermaster, his duties being those of a 
treasurer. In January. 1882, he w'as elected 
president of this organization, to which office 
he was re-elected each succeeding year until 
1891. when he resigned. When the Pennsyl- 
vania State Leasruc of Republican Clubs was 
organized in 1884, lie was elected its first 



president, to which office he was again elected 
in 1885 and 1886. declining a re-election in 
1887. In 1886 Jie represented the Tvventy- 
si.vth Ward in *the Select Council of Phila- 
delphia, and was a member of that body until 
1891. In the mayoralty convention of 1891 
he was unanimously nominated by the Repub- 
lican party, and was elected by the largest 
majority ever given a mayor in Philadelphia 
up to that time, and enjoyed the distinction of 
being the youngest man to be elected to this 
office. 

He is a member of the Board of City Trusts 
and chairman of the Finance Connnittce of 
that body: was twice a member of the Elec- 
toral College of Pennsylvania, and was its 
president when McKinley and Roosevelt were 
elected. During 1906 he was president of 
the Union League of Philadelphia. 

In Xovember. 190(1. he was elected Gov- 
ernor of Pennsylvania, taking office on Jan- 
uary 15. 1907. 



36 



rciuisyh'aiiia and Its I'liblic Men. 



Hon. Robert S. Murphy 

Lieutenaat Governor 

Robert S. Murphy was born in Louisville, 
St. Laurence County, New York, October i8, 
1861. He attended schools in Portland, Me., 
subsequently removing to Fryburg, Oxford 
County, Maine, for the purpose of enjoying an 




academic course at Potts' Academy, after 
which he attended schools at Freeport, Ster- 
ling, and Abington, Illinois, at the latter place 
being the student at Hedding College. He 
then completed his education at Pennington 
Seminary, Pennington, N. L In 1880 he 
located at Johnstown, Pa., and in March of 
that year became a student in the law office 
of the Hon. W. Horace Rose, who was a dis- 
tinguished member of the Legislature. In 1883 
he was admitted to practice in the courts of 
Cambria County, and subsequently in the Su- 
preme and Superior Courts of the State, and 
in the Federal courts. In 1892, when Cambria 
County was Democratic, he was elected Dis- 
trict Attorney, being the first Republican to 
hold that office in the history of the county. 
and was re-elected in 1895. He has frequently 
represented his party in State conventions, and 
in 1900 was named as delegate from the 
Twentieth District of the National Repid:)lican 
Convention at Philadelphia, wdiere he sup- 
ported McKinley and Roosevelt. In 1892 he 
represented his county in the State Republican 
Conventifin, and in an impassioned speech 



placed in nomination for Governor the Hon. 
John P. Elkin, now a Justice of the Supreme 
Court. Mr. Murphy was nominated for Lieu- 
tenant Governor by acclamation, and was 
elected by the large plurality of 71,919. He 
is a member of the Order of Elks and the 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Mur- 
phy is a son of the famous temperance evan- 
gelist, Francis Murphy, and as a platform 
orator, as old Sol Gills would remark, "is 
equalled by few and excelled by none." And, 
as was said of Garfield, he can "grow lachry- 
mose over a point of order and strew the 
dowers of rhetoric over a motion to adjourn." 



Old-Style Manner of Lobbying 

"Did you ever hear of Sam Moon," inter- 
jected Senator Grady? "Yes, but only by 
tradition." "He was here long before I began 
to come to Harrisburg," continued the Sena- 
tor, "and you know I am no spring chicken." 
The voice of the company was unanimous that 
Senator Grady was no spring chicken. "I 
have heard a good many stories of Sam,'' 
said Grady. "He was the most famous lob- 
byist of his day. I have been told that he 
had truly a mystic way of securing the serv- 
ices of members of the legislature whose votes 
he desired. He never placed money under 
the plates at the breakfast table, or left a 
ham on their back stoop, or lost a jack pot 
purposely, or sent a statesman alone to a com- 
mittee room where he found a wad awaiting 
him and not a soul to see him take it. 

"Upon the other hand Moon was established 
in the best quarters of the old Brady House 
and had communicating rooms. When he 
desired to see a member for one of his meas- 
ures the candidate for his stuff would be taken 
to Moon's front room, where he would be 
blindfolded by a henchman, and, after a sig- 
nal on the door, in a sort of lodge fashion, he 
would be ushered into the sanctum sanctorum. 
Moon would be sitting there and, disguising 
his voice into sepulchral tones, he would ask: 
'What brings the pale face to see the Great 
Spirit at this time?' 

"The commercial statesman, who had been 
in the outer room waiting, replied : T came 
about Senate bill No. 199.' 'What amount 
does the pale face further require to ease his 
conscience for voting for bill No. 199?' 

"The candidate would mention a sum, say, 
$1000, to which Moon would make reply: 
'The Great Spirit is paying but $500 for a 
vote for bill No. 199, but if the pale face 
brother be willing to make a speech for the 
bill in addition, he shall receive in wampum 
what he has named.' The member did not 
see the man who bribed him. and therefore in 
case of trouble could swear to nothing." 



Pcniisxl7'aiiia ami Its Public Men. 



37 



Hon, Samuel Whitaker 
Pennypacker 

Saniuol W'liilaktr Pennypacker was the first 
citizen of Pennsylvania wlio was transplanted 
from the bench into the office of Governor. 
His election over Robert E. Pattison, who had 
been twice (iovernor, was the final political 
triinnph of Matthew Stanley Quay, his remote 
kinsman. 

Mr. Pennypacker will be remembered more 
distinctly as Governor than as a Judge or as 
an author or a philobibliost, as probably no 
other Governor was more in the public eye. 
or was the subject of more newspaper atten- 
tion. Mr. Pennypackcr's birthplace was 
Phoenixville, and date of birth April 9, 1843. 

Determining to adopt the law as a profes- 
sion, he took a law course at the University 
of Penn.sylvania. Married, October 20. 1870. 
to \'irginia Earl Bromall. Mr. Pennypacker 
was an enthusiast in the line of research, 
delving into history and biography and be- 
coming a collector of rare and early prints. 
He will leave a fame as both. Elected Presi- 
dent of the Law .Vcademy of Pennsylvania. 
1888. Upon his elevation to the Common 
Pleas Court. Philadelphia, he at once took a 
high rank, and his Court, of which he became 
President Judge in igo2. was regarded as tl-.e 
ablest of the four then existing, and it was 
much sought after by litigants who desired 
to lessen the risk of appeal. Senator Quay's 
attention was called to Judge Pennypacker 
as an awaitable candidate for Governor by 
friends in 1903, and while spending a season 
at his resort at St. Luce, Florida, he reached 
the decision to slate him. John P. Elkin was 
a young and extremely popular candidate, and 
it was necessary to Quay's plans to keep Elkin 
and his friends in the dark as to his plans 
until the last minute. In the spring of 1904 
Quay was at the Hotel Walton and Elkin at 
the Stratford, when the latter sent Israel. W. 
Durham, one of his staunch supporters, to 
the Senator to obtain a final answer whether 
he intended to support him. 

Quav declared that he would not. and bis 
refusal almost broke the heart of Durham, 
he taking back the painful answer. Senator 
Quay then declared his preference for Judge 
Pennypacker. and Elkin issued his defi to the 
Boss. .V fierce hand-to-hand struggle then 
began for the control of the State Convention, 
which was carried into every count v. The 
old W'anamaker insurgent leaders enlisted in 
Elkin's cause, while Quay controlled a ma- 
jority of the Philadelphia delegates through 
L W. Durham, whom he brought around to 
the support of Pennypacker. The convention 
was the most spirited and intercstiii'j; in years. 



Louis .\, Watres, of Lackawanna, and his 
delegates, largely held the key to the situa- 
tion, and he was won over by Quay with the 
promise, as is understood, of the nomination 
in 1906. Quay's tactics nominated Penny- 
packer. The campaign that folli)we<l was bit- 
terly contested. The Union Party's conven- 
tion, called for the object of indorsing Pat- 
tison and held in Musical I-'und Hall, Phila- 
delphia, was disrupted through Quay's agency, 
and its purpose greatly nullified. Penny- 
packer had a majority over all of 86,910, and 
a plurality over Pattison of 142,350. Governor 
Pennypacker had the courage to halt much 
vicious legislation, and his .State papers were 




models of their kind and will live in historv. 
He earneil the enmity of the radical section 
of the press by forcing the passage of what 
was ])opularly known as the Salus-Grady 
"])ress-nnizzler." aimed to abridge the un- 
bridled license of. and the offensive cartoon- 
ing by. the press, but the act proved aboftive. 
Judge Pennypacker is a trustee of the L'ni- 
versity of Pennsylvania. President of the His- 
torical Society of Pennsylvania. President of 
the Philobiblion Club, member of the Pennsvl- 
vania Society Sons of the Revolution, and is 
the author of some seventy books and papers 
relating to history, biography, law reports, etc. 
In 1908 his splendid collection of early and 
rare books, pamphlets, and prints, were sold 
at public auction. .\t the end of his term as 
Governor he retired to his farm at Schwenks- 
villc, Montgomery County. 



38 



i'ciiiisvlc'oiilii and Its I'liblic Men. 




Hon. John E. Reyburn 

Mayor o( Philadelphia 



John E. Reyburn has served his adopted 
city as a member of the lower house of the 
Legislature, as a State Senator, then as a 
Congressman, and finally rounding out a 
splendid public career by being elected Mayor 
by an enormous majority. A gentleman of 
independent fortune, not harnessed through 
necessity to the profession of his choice, he 
has had the inclination and the means to de- 
vote his life largely to the public service. He 
is a native of Clark County, Ohio, where he 
was born February 7, 1845. During his child- 
hood his parents moved to Philadelphia, 
where his father, William S. Reyburn, estab- 
lished the business of manufacturing light- 
ning rods, which expanded into the most ex- 
tensive in that line in the world. He was not 
only one of the leading manufacturers of 
Philadelphia, but as a member of Select Coun- 



cil he was an earnest and persistent advocate 
of good government. Mayor Reyburn's edu- 
cation was derived from private tutors, who 
prepared him for an academic course, and his 
schooling was completed by his graduation 
from Sander's Military Institute in West 
Philadelphia. Selecting the law for a pro- 
fession, he took up its study in the office of 
E. Spencer Miller and was admitted to prac- 
tice in the courts of Philadelphia County in 
iS/O. He had actively identified himself with 
the Republican party of the Fifteenth Ward, 
and in the fall of 1870 he was able, when 
twenty-five years of age, to command the Re- 
publican nomination for the Legislature, and 
being elected, took a leading part with elder 
men in its proceedings. He was placed on 
the Committee of General Judiciary, a mark 
of distinction, and of great importance at that 



PciiiisYk-aiiia aiul Its Public Men. 



39 



time, as this committee framed tiic laws un- 
der which the Constitutional Convention of 
1S73 was held. Mr. Reyhurn was re-elected 
in 1S74, and again in 1876, the latter being 
known as the Centennial session. During 
these terms he was active in promoting con- 
stitutional amendments proposed by the (ien- 
eral Judiciary and Constitutional Reform 
Committees, of both of which he was a mem- 
ber, and thereon associated with some of the 
ablest men of the State. He had much to do 
with the framing and jjassing of new laws for 
cities of the first, second and third classes, as 
they were divided by the new Constitution, 
and with measures relating to the Centennial. 

In Centennial year Mr. Reyburn succeeded 
the Hon. Elisha W. Davis as State Senator 
from the Fifth District. His training in the 
House immediately established his prestige 
and enabled him to take a leading part in the 
Senate, which was then a deliberative and 
discursive body, and not as now' an establish- 
ment governed by "Senatorial Courtesy."' He 
was prominent in enacting legislation inci- 
dental to the labor riots of 1S77. and the spe- 
cial champion of the commercial interests of 
Philadelphia. Senator Reyburn. during the 
four terms he served in the Senate, was a 
metnber of the Appropriations Committee, 
and two terms its chairman. During this 
period much railroad legislation, both favor- 
able and adverse, was before the Legislature. 
and as an example of Senator Reyburn's de- 
sire to free himself from corporation influ- 
ences it can be said that he returned all rail- 
road passes, prefering to pay his fare. He 
was the only member known to indulge in 
this ])ractice. The Hon. John C. Grady wrote 
of hiin at this period: "Xo member of the 
Legislature acquired a higher reputation for 
personal and official integrity., firmness of 
purpose and other sterling traits of charac- 
ter. This being his reputation throughout 
the Commonwealth, his general popularity led 
the leaders of the Republicans in the trouble- 
some times of 1S83. when the Independents 
practically held the balance of power, to 
select him as the stalwart candidate for Presi- 
dent pro tcm of the Senate, and this choice 
was a very fortunate outcome. If the party 
had selected a weaker man it is doubtful 
whether the Republican organization could 
have been held intact long enough to form a 
line to repel the assaults of those who had for 
months conspired for its ruin and were to the 
last confident of success — all of which his 
selection averted, and to the satisfaction of 
even those who had opposed him." 

Senator Grady was then prophetic of his 
future as he wrote in 1888: "His name is 
frequently mentioned in connection with the 
Governorship, a Congressional career and the 



.Mayoralty of Philadelphia on account of his 
availability." Senator Reyburn was chosen to 
succeed the Hon. William D. Kelley, the fore- 
most champion of protection in Congress, and 
took his seat, in the famous Force Bill Con- 
gress, the h'ifty-first, in 1890, as the member 
from the Fourth District. He served in three 
sessions, and was defeated for the Fifty-fifth 
in a sensational convention by Col. James 
Rankin Young. Upon the death of the Hon. 
Robert .Adams, in 1906, Mr. Reyburn was 
elected as his successor. In the meantime bis 
friends had determined that he should round 
out his career as Mayor, and plans were laid 
accordingly. To be true to history it must he 
said that this proposition did not appeal to 
him, as he was averse to the cares, exactions 
and responsibilities of high office, and pre- 
ferred to remain in Congress. He was finally 
persuaded to allow his name to be used, and 
it went before the people, one of a field of 
candidates under the new direct primary elec- 
tion law in 1906, and he w-as nominated by a 
most substantial majority. Mr. Reyburn re- 
signed his seat in Congress, and on the first 
Monday in .^pril, 1907, was inaugurate<l as 
Mayor of Philadelphia. Like all other pro- 
gressive, strong and virile rulers, his admin- 
istration and private actions were criticized 
by party enemies through a hostile press, but 
his personal honor and deportment having 
been unjustly and malignantly assailed, he 
brought his newspaper traducers face to face 
with the law and secured their indictment. 
Mayor Reyburn's administration will live in 
history as "A business one." a progressive 
one. He planned and executed great public 
improvements, notably in harbor facilities, 
the construction of mammoth piers for ocean 
carrying lines, the deepening of the harbor 
channel, the extension of school facilities, the 
pushing along of the Parkway, the betterment 
of rapid transit facilities, and the general 
beautification of the city. He has given Phil- 
adelphia an impetus which his successors 
must carry forward. Mayor Reyburn is a 
member of the Union League, the Philadel- 
phia Yacht Club, and a director of the Union 
National Rank. 

He is a confirmed lover of water sports and 
a practical yachtsman. His steam yacht 
"Gretchen" is in constant commission during 
the season. He is the owner of a shooting 
and fishing preserve at Durant's Island, in 
.•\lbemarle Sound, where he spends much 
time with the Hikers and Pikers, an outing 
club organized by him. and he also has a pre- 
serve on the Potomac River. He is also the 
possessor of the Stanley House, Xew Rich- 
mond. Province of Quebec, where he makes 
pilgrimages for the splendid fishing there 
afforded. 



40 



J'cimsxl-i'aiiia and Its Public Mcji. 



Hon. Hampton L. Carson 

Hampton Lawrence Carson is a figure at 
the bar, an engine of force upon the platform, 
a wit and a silver tongue at the banqueting 
board, and a writer conspicuous in the world 
of letters. For a quarter of a century he has 




been intimately identified with the great life 
throb of his native State, declining and ac- 
cepting public charge, foremost in her po- 
litical activities and struggles, a leader in her 
reformations and uplifts, and is the scion of 
a distinguished and useful ancestry. 

Of all the lawyers of the Pennsylvania bar 
he was chosen by another great lawyer elected 
to the Governorship, Samuel W. "Penny- 
packer, to be the premier and legal adviser 
of his administration, holding the portfolio of 
Attorney-General. In no sense was this a 
political appointment, but a tribute paid by 
one great lawyer recognizing the abilities of 
another. Upon his paternal side is the Scotch 
blood, firm lipped Presbyterians, who, for 
conscience sake, fled from the bonny land 
through the tyrannies of the infamous Arch- 
bishop Laud, wdiile upon the maternal side is 
the English Quaker. His great grandfather, 
Levi Hollingsworth, of Philadelphia, was one 
of the first to support with his sword the 
fortunes of the American Congress, being a 
trooper in the first cavalry to take the field 
against the red coats. A son of Philadelphia, 
born February 21, 1852, he has never been a 



laggard when her material interests have been 
concerned, nor a still tongue when her liber- 
ties have been threatened. His father, Dr. 
Joseph Carson, was a man renowned in 
physics and the sciences, and held the chair 
of materia medica in the L^niversity of Penn- 
sylvania. He could aflford his son a liberal 
education, and from private schools and tutors 
he finally took his sheepskin from "old Penn" 
in 1X74. He has been visited with honorary 
degrees: in 1898 with A.M. and LL.D. from 
Lafayette College: in 1902 also by the 
Western LTniversity of Pennsylvania, and in 
1905 by his own alma mater. 

He has dipped into the author's ink pot. 
He taught law at the University of Pennsyl- 
vania for six years, and was editor of the 
Legal Gaccttc at one period. One of the most 
interesting phases of his life was when he 
was Secretary of the Constitutional Centen- 
nial Commission of 1887. His monograph on 
"Law of Criminal Conspiracies." printed 
about this time, was the first work on "strikes 
and boycotts" from a legal aspect that ever 
appeared. He has written copiously in the 
domain of legal literature, and his "History 
of the Supreme Court of the Ll^nited States"' 
is found on the library .shelf of every well- 
equipped barrister. He has more than once 
turned a deaf ear to the importunities of 
])oliticians to stand for elective office, and he 
could have gone upon the bench. Many 
famous cases have been won by Mr. Carson, 
and his fame, as a lawyer is as wide as the 
country itself — notably the Weightman will 
case. This case involved a larger sum than 
any ever occurring in Pennsylvania, and by 
the dramatic production by Mr. Carson of a 
piece of written naner, his antagonists were 
driven from the field. 

T prefer Hampton L. Carson, however, 
above all else, when the dcmi tassc has been 
sipped and the cup pushed aside, and when 
the banqueters, contented in mind and lazy 
of body, await with expectancy the feast that 
the program of toasts portends. With what 
a naive charm, an imperial diction, a wit, a 
historical word naint, a poetical fancy and a 
classical borrowing does he invest his task ! 
Table orators are few and a long way apart, 
and Air. Carson stands a prince among them. 



Representative Al. Crawford, of Philadel- 
phia, when the Pittsburg Riot Bill was under 
consideration in 1879, arose in the House and 
said : "Mr. Speaker, I nresent a petition in 
the bill's favor from two venerable reformers 
of Philadelphia." There was a great laugh 
when the Speaker read the two names at- 
tached. They were Lish Davis and Colonel 
McClure's Rex Galalorum, Joe Souder. 



Pcinisyiz'oiiia and Its I'ubiic Men. 



41 



Hon. David Martin 

Slate Insurance Commissioner 

David Martin has been a comniandinjj figure 
in the politics of Philadelphia and the State 
for a quarter of a century. Inuring this time 
he has sat in the high councils of the regular 
Republican organization, and again he has 
broken with the dominant party leaders and 
been numbered among the chiefs of the hos- 
tile clan. 

Adopting politics as a profession, he has 
devoted his life to its turmoils and its fruits. 
He was born on the Ridgway farm in the 
suburban northeastern section of Philadelphia 
County, August 20, 1845, and remained on 
it, working for his father, until attaining 
the age of twenty years, when he obtained 
employment in the city. His education was 
limited entirely to the public schools in the 
winter terms. 

He gravitated into politics early in life, and 
his first position was in the Water Depart- 
ment of Philadelphia. He set up his resi- 
dence in the Nineteenth Ward, which he has 
controlled absolutely, po'itically, for thirty- 
five years. He w-as first clectccl a member of 
the Republican Executive Committee of the 
Xineteenth Ward in iS'66, and has held a 
seat in that body continuously for a period 
of forty-one years, and a member of the Re- 
publican City Committee for twenty-seven 
years, a record of distinction in the turmoils 
and the changes of politics of a great city. 

He was appointed Sergeant-at-Arms of the 
House of Representatives of Pennsylvania, 
session of 1873 : was elected County Commis- 
sioner in Philadelphia in 1875, and re-elected 
in 1878. He has been a delegate in nearly 
every Republican State convention since 1872. 
He was appointed Assistant Sergeant-at-.\rms 
of the National House of Representatives, 
sessions of 1881 and 1882: was a delegate to 
the Republican National Convention that 
nominated Harrison in 1888. He was elected 
a member of the National Republican Execu- 
tive Committee from Pennsylvania in 1892, 
and served four years. Mr. Martin was a 
delegate to the Convention at Minneapolis in 
1892, and voted for Major McKinley against 
President Harrison : a delegate to the Na- 
tional Convention in l8g6 at St. Louis, and 
was one of the six Pennsylvania delegates 
who voted for Major McKinley for President. 
He was appointed Collector of Internal Reve- 
nue of the First District of Pennsylvania, by 
President Harrison, in May, 1889, resigning 
after serving two years. 

Mr. Martin, politically, broke with Senator 
Quay in 1895, and. together with the late 
Charles A. Porter and other interests, suc- 
ceeded in wresting the control of the city of 



Philadelphia from liini. I le was largely in- 
strumental in the nomination and the election 
of the Hon. Charles I'". Warwick for Mayor. 
He served as Chairman of the Campaign 
Committee of the Republican City Committee 
for several terms during this period. 

Mr. Martin was pronnnently iilentified with 
Governor Hastings, the late C. L. -Magee, 
Attorney-fienera! Henry C. McCormick, and 
others, in the movement to retire Senator 
Quay from the control of the Republican 
State organization, and supported the late P<. 
F. fiilkeson, of Bucks County, for State 
Chairman against Quay, which resulted in a 
victory for the latter. Upon the retirement 




of General Frank Reeder, September, 1897, 
Mr. Martin entered the Cabinet of Governor 
Hastings as Secretary of the Commonwealth. 
He was also a leader in the movement of 
1S9S to defeat M. S. Quay for the United 
States Senatorship in favor of John Wana- 
makcr. He was one of the men who assisted 
in bringing about the deadlock in the Legis- 
lature of 1899-1900. which failed to elect the 
Senator. In the subsequent Legislature of 
1901 he threw his support to (ieneral Koontz 
for .Speaker of the House as against the Quay 
candidate. William T. Marshall, of .Mlegheny, 
which contest was the key to the re-election 
of Quay as Senator. This was one of the 
most exciting and c'osest contests for political 
supremacy in the history of the Pennsylvania 



42 



Pciiiisxii'ania and Its Public Men. 



Legislature, Mr. Marshall winning by one 
vote, and the re-election of Mr. Quay, as 
Senator, following. Mr. Martin was elected 
State Senator in November, 1898, receiving 
the largest majority of any man who ever 
held a seat in the Senate of Pennsylvania, 
and served in the sessions of 1899 and 1901. 
He was a delegate to the Republican National 
Convention at Chicago, in 1904, that nomi- 
nated Theodore Roosevelt for President, and 
on July I. IQOS, was appointed Insurance 
Commissioner by Governor Pennypacker, and 
was re-appointed by Governor Stuart. He 
was a delegate to the National Convention 
held at Chicago in June, 1908, that nomi- 
nated William Howard Taft for President. 
Mr. Martin made his peace with Senator 
Quay in 1902. since wdien he has been in en- 
tire accord with the Republican State Organi- 
zation. He was the founder of the Anti- 
Cobden Republican Club of Philadelphia. 



Francis Murphy Plucks a Brand 
from the Burning 

I can personally testify to one reformation 
of many thousands that was brought about 
by the late Francis Murphy, the famous tem- 
perance advocate, who reached men through 
moral suasion and their honor rather than 
by the compulsory routes of prohibition and 
local option. 

Drayton S. Lew'is, an old-time reporter of 
Philadelphia, will be recalled by the elder 
race of politicians. Like many others, he was 
his own worst enemy, and his professional 
usefulness in a measure was marred by his 
indulgence in liquor. Francis Murphy was 
holding great meetings nightly in Concert 
Hall. Together with other reporters I was 
seated at a table on the stage, and while Mr. 
Murphy was speaking Lewis staggered in 
and took a seat at the reporters" table. His 
condition made us ashamed of him and of 
our profession. The eloquent orator, who 
could almost charm a bird out of a tree, and 
whose personal magnetism was wondrous, 
was depicting the ultimate fate of the drunk- 
ard when Lewis, with an effort, arose and 
staggered over to him. In incoherent speech 
he asked to be permitted to take the pled.ge 
and to be decorated with a Murphy "Blue 
Ribbon." 

This episode coming so unexpectedly, nat- 
urally created a sensation, electrifying the 
audience, and scores of men rushed upon the 
stage for blue ribbons. Mr. Murphy made 
the most of it, considering it to be a great 
feat to thus reclaim a newspaper man. Mr. 
Lewis kept the faith until the day of his 
death, wdiich occurred several vears after. 



Robert R. Bringhurst 

City Treasurer, Philadelphia 

Robert Ralston Bringhurst comes from 
English parent stock and is a descendant 
from the Bringhursts of Leicestershire, Eng- 
land. Members of the family have sat in 
Parliament and have been physicians and dis- 




tinguisheil clergymen of the Church of Eng- 
land. The records go back to Thomas, who 
was a chirurgeon, and who wedded Elizabeth 
Hughes, in London, in 1647. He was the 
grandfather of the Bringhursts who emi- 
grated to Pennsylvania about 1700. The 
widow of John Bringhurst, 2d, and her four 
children, embarked for America on the 
brigantine Messenger, and landed in Phila- 
delphia about 1700. John Bringhurst, 4th. 
learned the trade of a cooper, and died on 
the Island of Barbadoes in 1750. He was a 
Quaker, and interested in shipping and the 
cooperage business. He was an overseer of 
the famous William Penn Charter School. 
George Bringhurst, 3d, son of John, 2d, died 
in Germantovvn in 1752. He was engaged 
in the saddlery business, and left a large 
estate. John Bringhurst, 4th, died in Ger- 
mantown, 1745. He was a wagonmaker, and 
was the first to build what is known as "the 
Germantovvn wagon." - A street in German- 
town is named after him. George Bringhurst. 
5th, a native of Germantown, was a patriot 



Pciinsxlfoiiia and Its I'liblic Men. 



43 



of the Revolution, and served as second lieu- 
tenant of a company of the "Flying Camp" 
of Philadelphia County, commanded by Colo- 
nel Lewis, lie became one of the leading 
carriage and coach builders of his day. Rob- 
ert Ralston Rringhurst. 6th. who died in 1863. 
founded the undertaking business which has 
come down with the family. Col. Thomas 
Hall Rringhurst. the father of the subject 
of this sketch, was born, had his schooling, 
and learned cabinetmaking in Pliiladelphia. 
When yet a young man he went West, taking 
up his residence in Logansport, Ind., and en- 
gaged in the manufacture of walnut veneer 
for the eastern markets. His business career 
was interrupted by the Mexican war. and in 
1846 he enlisted in the First Regiment of In- 
diana \'olunteers, and went to Mexico. At 
the conclusion of the war he purchased the 
Logansport Tclcgrafh. and, becoming its edi- 
tor, made it the Whig party organ, con- 
ducting it until 1870. He was twice mayor 
of Logansport. 

At the breaking out of the Civil War Mr. 
Bringhurst assisted in raising the Forty- 
seventh Indiana \'olunteers and became its 
major. When mustered out, in 1865, he was 
the colonel of the regiment. He served as a 
special agent of the Postoffice Department. 
He was a delegate to the first X'ational Re- 
publican Convention that nominated Fremont 
for President. At his death, in 1899. he was 
given a public funeral in Logansjwrt. 

Robert Ralston Bringhurst, City Treasurer 
of Philadelphia, is a product of Iloosierdom. 
having been born in Logansport F'ebruary 2, 
1849. His boyhood was spent in that town, 
which also ati'ordcd him his schooling. When 
he was 19 years old his father sent him to 
Philadelphia, and he entered the family of his 
uncle to learn the undertaking business. He 
also added to the education he had acquired 
in Indiana by attending the Locust Street 
Grammar .School. Some years later he suc- 
ceeded his uncle in the undertaking business 
at 38 Xorth Eleventh Street, which had come 
down in the family from his grandfather in 
1822. He early took an active interest in 
military matters and the National Guard. He 
was commissioned, in 1878, First Lieutenant 
of Company A, State Fencibles Battalion ; 
promoted March, 1879. to Captain of C Com- 
pany, which commission he resigned in March. 
1883. The next year he was elected First 
Lieutenant of Company K, First Regiment 
Infantry: promoted Captain September, 18S6. 
resigning in .^pril, 1888. Captain Bringhurst 
has taken an active interest in ward and city 
politics, having identified himself with the Re- 
publican party. He was elected to the Xinth 
Ward School Board in 1885, and re-elected 
until 1890, when he was .I.rt.-.] Its president 



and re-elected in 1891. In that same year he 
became the Republican candidate for Select 
Council, his election following. He at once 
took a leading position in that munici])al body, 
and was noted for his independence and the 
vigor with which he fought for the city's best 
interests. His career in Select Council cov- 
ered a period of nine years, he having been 
elected to serve three terms. He was chair- 
man of the Water Committee, and as a mem- 
ber of the Finance Committee he became an 
authority uijon the fiscal affairs of the citv. 
During the Spanish-.\nierican war Captain 
Bringhurst was chairman of the Council's 
Committee which took the hospital train to 
Florida to bring back the Philadelphia sol- 
diers who were sufYering from typhoid fever. 
He took an active interest in furthering the 
completion of the Bo\s' High School, and 
was especially active in favoring the teachers, 
firemen, and police pension fund measures. 
Captain Bringhurst is a 32d degree Mason, 
has been thirty years in Washington Lodge: 
is now Past Master of Charles M. Swain 
Lodge. Xo. 654. 

The Republican organization, in 1906, was 
confronted with reform conditions which re- 
quired the selection, as a candidate for city 
treasurer, of a type of man who would ap- 
peal to the moral worth of the party and draw 
the fire of the City or the Reform party. 
Owning to the splendid record to his credit in 
City Councils and bis reputation as a business 
man. the leaders tendered the nomination to 
Captain Bringhurst, and he was elected by 
a large majority. His administration of the 
office has added to his popularity, and it is 
believed that higher civic honors await him. 



Why Senator Penrose Didn't 

Get Married 

Just prior to the election of Hon. Boies Pen- 
rose to the L'nited States Senate by the Penn- 
sylvania Legislature, he had been the victim of 
gossip on the part of some enemies. He was 
in conversation with Senators Cameron and 
Quay, and the former said: "Boies, why don't 
you get married, and stop all this talk which 
usually assails a bachelor?" Penrose, look- 
ing at both of his seniors, answered: "Gentle- 
men. I am ready to marry any one whom the 
organization names. The subject might be 
brought up in the caucus, and the selection 
matle by that body." It is hardly necessary to 
add that the Republican party of Pennsylvania 
would have been disrupted if it had attempted 
to name the wife of our junior Senator, and 
it is well known that he is still a bachelor 
awaiting the connnands of the party. 



44 



Pcniisvl'i'aiiia and Its I'lihlic Men. 




Hon. Simon P. Wolverton 

of Sunbury 



Simon P. Wolverton is regarded as one 
of the greatest of Pennsylvania's corporation 
lawyers. He has been a heroic figure at its 
bar for nearly half a century, and for twenty 
years he was a commanding and interesting 
factor in the Democratic politics of the State. 
He is a splendid type of the self-made man, 
a product of the farm, teaching school to 
obtain the funds to put him through college 
and to enable him to study law. It is be- 
lieved that during his professional career he 
has passed upon a larger aggregate of prop- 
erty valuations than any other man in the 
Keystone State. 

Mr. Wolverton has lived all his life in 
his native county of Xorthumberland, where 
he was born in Rush Township, January 28, 
1837. His father w^ts a poor struggling 



farmer far from markets, and wresting from 
a stubborn soil a yield with the aid only of 
the primitive agricultural implements of the 
period. Young Wolverton remained on the 
farm until he was seventeen, attending the 
winter terms of the public school: but he 
was different from the boys of his neigh- 
bors, since he was animated by a keen desire 
for knowledge and an education. Where he 
could not find the schoolmaster he mastered 
the text-books himself, devoting his nights 
and his hours of rest to study. 

Thus at the age of hardly eighteen we find 
him self equipped and with the courage to 
undertake the task of a public school teacher, 
having pupils much older than himself. When 
the school term closed Mr. Wolverton at- 
tended the .\cadcniv at Danville, in the ad- 



Fciiiisxk'aitia and Its I'lihlic Men. 



45 



jiiiniiii^ couiitv. iliirnn; ilu- Minimcr ami fall. 
In this way he prcpart-d himself for college. 
He entered Biickneil University in 1857, aiul 
at the end of his sophomore year he was 
obliged to temporarily abandon the course for 
a time by reason of his i)overty, and return 
to the role of the schoolmaster. He saved 
enough to allow him to return to college and 
resume his studies. In order to show the 
prodigious strength of his intellect and his 
capacity of absorbing knowledge, it can be 
said that he crowded the study of two years 
into one. graduating in 1S60. the second honor 
man of his class. In the annals of Buckncll 
Simon Wolverton's name stands forth con- 
spicuously as one of the brightest of her 
graduates, and his alma mater is distinc- 
tively proud of him. 

With his sheepskin he then went to Sun- 
bury and taught a private academy and util- 
ized his spare time in the stud\' of the law 
in the office of the Hon. Alexander Jordon. 
He intercepted his law studies to go to the 
defense of his country, raising a company in 
Sunbury and the vicinity for an emergency 
regiment at the time of the Battle of .-\n- 
tietam. and in June, 1S63. he became Captain 
of Coni])any F of the Thirty-si.xth Pennsyl- 
vania X'olunteers. He thus has an honorable 
war record. 

Mr. Wolverton was admitted to the bar 
in I.S62, and has continued to practice ac- 
tively up to the present time, his fame and 
his practice continuing to broaden. His popu- 
larity in his section was remarkable, and was 
demonstrated in 1878 when he was prevailed 
upon to accept the Democratic nomination for 
State Senator in what was regarded as an 
iron-bound Republican district, with a natural 
majority of from twelve to fifteen hundred 
against him. He was triumphantly re-elected 
for two additional terms in 1880 and in 1884, 
both presidential years. Senator Wolverton 
declined to accept a fourth nomination owing 
to his practice engrossing so much of his 
time. While a member of the Senate he was 
acknowledged as one of its leaders. He was 
again persuaded, however, in 1890. to re- 
enter political life, and was nominated and 
elected to Congress from the Seventeenth 
District. He naturally soon arose to a com- 
manding position in that body, where his 
abilities and his acquirements were recog- 
nized. He was re-elected in l8g2, but de- 
clined a further nomination in 1884, as his 
professional engagements required that he 
devote his entire time to them. He has been 
counsel for the Philadelphia and Readine 
Railroad Company and the Philadelphia and 
Reading Coal and Iron Company since 1868. 
and passed upon all the coal land titles ac- 
quired by the latter corporation in the county 



of Xorthumberland and vicinity. He has also 
been attorney for the I-ehigh N'alley Railroad 
Company and Lehigh \'alley Coal Company 
for many years, and for Coxe Brothers and 
Company and their allied interests. He was 
largely instrumental in building the Danville, 
Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre Railroad, and the 
Shamokin, Sunltury and Lcwisburg Railroad 
and other public enterprises. 



Col. James M. Guffey 

James M. Guft'ey has wrested millions of 
wealth from Mother Earth, and is what is 
termed in .\mcrica ".V Captain of Industry." 
He is one of the few men who are singularly 
endowed by nature for colossal undertakings 
and for world building. He is a pioneer in 
the opening up of natural resources of wealth, 
and has made himself famous in the develop- 
ment of three commodities — petroleum, coal 
and natural gas. In the national political 
arena he is equally as well known, although 
he figures simply to obtain relaxation and di- 
version from his onerous business responsibili- 
ties. Certainh- not for profit or the lust for 
office. He ranks among America's multi-mil- 
lionaires in Wall Street, and money lords 
proclaim him "one of the most liberal and 
shrewdest investors in the United States." 
Colonel Guffey's father was Alexander Guf- 
fey, whose father, William, came from Scot- 
land in 1738, and was a member of General 
Forbes's expedition against the French and In- 
dians at Fort Du(|uesne. He founded the first 
English settlement along the Loyalhanna 
Creek. Colonel Guffey was born in West- 
moreland County, Pennsylvania, January 17, 
1839. The (juft'eys were influential in the af- 
fairs of that county for many years, his 
brother, Wesley, having been Sheriff. He 
was a farmer's lad and his schooling was 
limited. The confines of a farm were too 
narrow for his ambition, and at eighteen he 
was a clerk for the Louisvi.le & .Vashville Rail- 
road at Louisville. Later he entered the serv- 
ice of the Adams Express Company at Xash- 
ville. The discovery of petroleum in Western 
Pennsylvania gave him the opportunity to 
climb to fame and wealth as well as to develop 
the superior business abilities that he pos- 
sessed. When the oil excitement broke out 
he hastened home and joined the army of 
prospectors and operators, beginning as a 
driller. He then made a strike on liis own 
account at Pithole. which furnished him with 
capital for a larger operation at Bradford. 
He was a bold and audacious operator, star- 
tling the trade by his wholesale methods of 
procuring options, and luck was with him from 
the start. In 1884 he added the natural gas 



46 



Pciuisxii'diiia ami Its I'liblic Men. 



industry to his oil interest and developed the 
Grapeville and Marysviile fields in Westmore- 
land County. Then came the gas develop- 
ments in the Ohio and Indiana fields, and he 
went there. He then heard the rumors that 
petroleum had been found in Texas, and he 
hurried there in advance of the .Standard Oil 
Company and made a personal inspection. He 
brought professional petroleum experts from 
the East who tested it as to its qualities, and 
being satisfied as to its character he plunged 
and secured options on a million acres, form- 
ing the James M. Guffey Petroleum Company. 
He saw that to pipe the oil would cost mil- 
lions, and he risked every dollar he was worth 
on the venture. He drilled the first well near 
Beaumont in 1901 and luck again befriended 
him, as he brought in the famous Lucas 
gusher which flowed 70,000 barrels per day. 
After piping to the Seaboard the oil is mar- 
keted in the largest petroleum-carrying fleet 
in the world, steamers built expressly for the 
purpose. Still searching for new natural 
wealth and new worlds to conquer. Colonel 
Guffey, in 1893, opened the Neadesfa oil fields 
in Kansas. Aside from his petroleum and 
natural gas interests Colonel Guffey is heavily 
concerned in the semi-bituminous coal trade, 
and at one time he enjoyed the distinction of 
being the largest individual owner of unde- 
veloped coal lands in the world. Colonel 
Guffey is almost as familiar a figure in New 
York as he is at his home in Pittsburg, mak- 
ing the Holland House his headquarters in 
the former city, and being frequently seen at 
the prominent clubs. He inherited his democ- 
racy, but had not the time or inclination to 
bother with politics tmtil he became a resi- 
dent of Pittsburg in 1883. He has never been 
a candidate for public office, although he could 
have been his party's nominee in Pennsylvania 
for anything within its gift. I^ike Thurlow 
Weed, he prefers to be the king maker. Col- 
onel Guffey came into political activity with 
the first administration of President Cleve- 
land, and was antagonistic to William I^. Scott 
and his interests. He identified himself with 
the old Wallace wing of the democracy. He 
w-as inimical to the State leadership of Wil- 
liam F. Harrity under the second Cleveland 
Administration and was associated with James 
Kerr, Howard Mutchler, David Orr and 
Chauncey F. Black and others for his over- 
throw, which the nomination of Bryan in 
i8g6 enabled them to do. At the Reading 
convention of 1897 Co'onel Guffey and his co- 
parceners wrested the control of the State 
democracy from Mr. Harrity. Colonel Guffey 
later succeeded Mr. Harrity as member of 
the Democratic National Committee from 
Pennsylvania, which he held up to the Den- 
ver Convention of 1908, when, after a, sensa- 



tional struggle within the party, he was suc- 
ceeded by James Kerr, whose death, however, 
before the close of that year left the place 
open again for Colonel Guffey's return. At 
the Altoona Convention in 1898 Colonel 
Guffey and his syndicate of State leaders 
disrupted over the nomination for Governor, 
they supporting the candidacy of Judge James 
Gay Gordon, and he preferring George A. 
Jenks. After an exciting struggle Colonel 
Guffey defeated his erstwhile partners, and 
then assumed the sole leadership of the party, 
which he still retains. Colonel Guffey, from 
a business point of view, always opposed 
Bryan, although on friendly terms and con- 
tributing princely to his campaigns until 1908 
when Bryan attempted to destroy him, and 
would have succeeded had he tiot encountered 
defeat at the polls. Colonel Guffey is a trus- 
tee of Washington and Jeft'erson College, and 
a member of the Highland Avenue Presby- 
terian Church, Pittsburg. He is also a mem- 
ber of the Manhattan Club of New York and 
the Duquesne Club of Pittsburg. 



A Joke at the Expense of David H. Lane. 

I once got a crack at the Nestor of the 
Republican organization of Philadelphia, David 
H. Lane, that made him exceedingly angry 
at the time. The late Jim Gosh, the well- 
known hotel man and politician, had come 
into possession of the Hotel Aberdeen, and in 
celebration of the event, conceived the idea of 
giving the newspaper men, together with a 
select few of his political friends, a swell din- 
ner. It was one of the finest spreads I have 
ever sat down to, the wines particularly being 
of the finest vintages and of extraordinary 
variety. Mr. Lane was the toastmaster. 

It so happened that he was just then in 
great mental anguish over the disloyalty of 
his new member of Select Council, who had 
betrayed his trust, exposing Mr. Lane to 
.great ridicule. The traitor's name was Stack- 
house. In the course of the speechmaking, 
and I may add here, it was supposed that Mr. 
Lane was financially interested in the hotel, 
I was called upon to say something. 

I congratulated the host upon the general 
elegance of his establishment — everything new 
— new furniture, new bar appointments, a new 
and improved menu — and new bed bugs. I 
took exceptions, however, to the name selected 
for the Hotel, and thought that, under the 
circumstances, it would have been more ap- 
propriate to have named it instead of The 
Aberdeen — The Stackhouse. Mr. Lane took 
that as a personal reflection upon himself, and 
I was compelled to apologize then and there. 



I'cmisyhaiiia and Its Public Men. 



47 



Hon. George Franklin Huff 

Grccnsburg 

George I'rankliii Huff has been for tliirty- 
five years a conspicuous factor in the finan- 
cial, industrial, and the political life of West- 
ern Pennsylvania, as well as of the State at 
large, whije for years he has sat as a mem- 




ber of Congress, wliich has given him a na- 
tional reputation. .Mr. Huff is one of the 
"Captains of Industry" who have made their 
native State the leader in the production of 
natural wealth, and he is interested in colossal 
business enter])rises which have offices in X'ew 
York. Pittsburg. Philadelphia, and Baltimore. 
In the senatorial struggles which have agi- 
tated the Legislature and the people of the 
State, notably in the revolt against Cameron 
when he sought to make Harry W'. Oliver 
Senator in 1K81, and the revolt against Quay 
in 1899, Mr. Muff was brought forward by his 
friends as an available compromise candidate, 
and received the vote of many members of 
the Legislature. Mr. Huff has also been 
strenuously promoted by his enthusiastic 
friends for the nomination for Governor, but 
he never openly avowed himself as a seeker 
for the office. Mr. Huff is a native of \or- 
ristown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 
having been born there July 16, 1842. His 
parents were in humble circumstances, and 



while he was a child they moved to Middle- 
town, his father obtaining work in the car 
shop there. The education he got came to 
him from the public schools. In those days 
the highest advantage that could be given a 
boy was to fit him out in a trade, and young 
Huff therefore entered the car shops of the 
I'cmisylvania Railroad at .-Mtoona. The bent 
of his mind was not in the direction of me- 
chanics, however, but toward business affairs, 
which led him to abandon bis trade and obtain 
em])loyment in the banking house of William 
II. Lloyd & Co., of .Mtoona, and with whom 
he mastered the intricacies of the banking 
business and other secrets of the realm of 
finance. In 1867 he removed to Greensburg, 
Westmoreland County, when his wonderfully 
successful career began by the establishment 
of a banking house of his own. In 1871 he 
was wedded to Henrietta, daughter of the late 
judge Jeremiah M. Rurrell, of Pennsylvania. 
sul)se(iuently United States District Judge and 
Chief Justice of Kansas by appointment of 
President Franklin Pierce. Upon his removal 
to Westmoreland County, Mr. Huff identified 
himself with the Republican party, becoming 
one of the county leaders. He was a delegate 
to the memorable Republican .\ationaI Con- 
vention at Chicago, of 1880, and was one of 
the famous "306" who followed the lead of 
Roscoe Conkling, General Logan, and J. Don- 
ald Cameron in the great struggle to nomi- 
nate General Grant the third time for the 
Presidency. In 1884 Mr. Huff was elected to 
the State Senate from Westmoreland County. 
His career in that body was cut short after a 
service of one term by his nomination and 
election to the Fifty-second Congress from the 
Twenty-first District, which w-as composed of 
the counties of Westmoreland, Indiana, .Arm- 
strong, and Jefferson. He was on the State 
ticket as a candidate for Congressman-at- 
Large, and was elected to the Fifty-fourth 
Congress, and was re-elected to represent the 
present Twenty-second District, emliracing the 
counties of Westmoreland and Butler in the 
iMfty-eighth Congress in 1902. He also 
served in the I'Tfty-ninth, Sixtieth, and was 
re-elected to the Sixty-first Congress. Mr. 
Huff is Chairman of the House Committee on 
Mines and .Mining, and a member of the im- 
portant Coniniittee on Post-Offices and Post- 
Roads. Mr. Huff's business connections have 
manv ramifications. He is President of the 
Keystone Coal and Coke Company, one of 
the largest producers of gas and steam coal 
in the L'nited .States, and he still continues at 
the head of bis private banking house in 
Greensburg. He is President of the West- 
moreland Hospital .Association, and is noted 
for his public philanthro])y and \uiostcntatious 
cliaritv. 



48 



I'cjii!s\ii'aiiia ami Its Public Men. 



Hon. Charlemagne Tower 

Charlemagne lower is another eminent 
Pennsylvania who has added lustre and dis- 
tinction to American diplomacy, which re- 
ceived its first laurels from the hands of Ben- 
jamin Franklin at the Court of France during 
the American Revolution. Xot only is he 
known from his connection with the foreign 
service of the State Department, but in the 
business life of the nation he is a strong and 
rugged figure. He has been active as a Re- 
publican in the great national struggles that 
have occurred between the political parties, 
and in the social world he is an acknowledged 
and conspicuous force and personage. He 
possesses social qualities of the highest order 
which, combined with a University education, 
a splendid acquaintance with literature and 
years of travel, have given to the world one 
of the most interesting and enjoyable of men 
and companions. 

Mr. Tower is a native of Philadelphia: the 
scion of a distinguished family. He was born 
April 7, 1848, and was the son of Charlemagne 
and Amelia (Bartle). He had the advantages 
of a liberal education, and in his early youth 
was enrolled as a student at General Russell's 
Military Academy at New Haven, Connecti- 
cut. From there he entered the famous 
Phillips Academy at E.xeter, New Hampshire, 
a preparatory school for Harvard. He grad- 
uated from Harvard University in 1872. For 
his eminence in the arena of literature he had 
the degree of LL.D. conferred upon him by 
three great institutions of learning, viz. : La- 
fayette College, the University of Chicago, 
and the Universities of Glasgow and St. An- 
drews. After graduation at Harvard Mr. 
Tower went abroad, and pursued his studies 
in history, languages and literature, and re- 
turned with his mind splendidly stored, and 
what might be termed "a gentleman of the 
world," having spent ten years in the cities, 
libraries and universities of Europe. Upon 
his return to Philadelphia, in 1887, Mr. Tower 
entered upon a business career, having large 
and important interests not only in Pennsyl- 
vania, but in other States. Progressive in the 
highest degree, he was associated with others 
in the development of the great natural re- 
sources of the nation, particularly that of iron. 
He became president of the Duluth & Iron 
Range Railroad; managing director of the 
Minnesota Iron Company, and an officer and 
director in a number of other prominent cor- 
porations. He has always been a liberal 
patron and promoter of education and science, 
and his interest and gifts to the University of 
Pennsylvania naturall)' resulted in his election 
as a member of its Board of Trustees. He is 
a member of the .\cademv of Natural Sci- 



ences, of the .American Philosophical Society, 
and the American Institute for Mining Engi- 
neers. 

Mr. Tower is as well known in France al- 
most as he is in the United States, and he 
possesses a distinction to which but very few- 
Americans can point, in that he is a grand 
oflicer of the Legion of Honor of France. 

In 1897 Mr. Tower's course in the diplo- 




matic service of the United States began. He 
was appointed by President McKinley to be 
United States A'linister to Austria-Hungary, 
where he served with such distinction that in 
1899 he was promoted to the Court of St. 
Petersburg as Ambassador to Russia. He 
represented the United -States also as Am- 
bassador to Germany during a period of six 
years. At these brilliant courts of Europe 
Mr. Tower maintained with credit and distinc- 
tion the prestige of the nation he represented. 
He is conceded to have been one of the most 
popular American representatives ever as- 
signed to Russia and Germany. 

In the world of letters Mr. Tower will prob- 
ably be best known from his authorship of 
"The Marquis de La Fayette" in the .-Ameri- 
can Revolution, in two volumes, published in 
1895, and which is accepted as an authority, 
it being the product of patient and exacting 
investigation, both from the archives and 
libraries of France and of the United .States. 



J'ciiiisylvaiiia and Its I'liblic Men. 



49 




Col. Wesley R. Andrews 

Republican Slate Chairman 



Wesley R. Andrews, while not fisnrinj; as 
a "Xapoleon of Politics." still he has for 
years acted as the Chief of Staffs of such 
"Napoleons.'' Me has lived for many years 
in the heated atmosphere of legislation, pub- 
lic affairs, politics and political campaigninsj. 
He can be said to have had four distinctive 
careers. He has been a soldier, a factor in 
mercantile life, an editor and publisher, and 
a campaign manager. His family history is 
contained in the sketch in this work of his 
brother, Hon. William R. Andrews, delegate 
in Congress from Xcw Mexico. He was horn 
at Sugar (Irove, Warren County. Pennsyl- 
vania, December 23, 1837. His education was 
confined to the puhlic schools, and he assisted 
his father in his younger years in the man- 
agement of a farm. Soon after the outbreak 

4 



of the Reboliion. Colonel .Andrews, then a 
stripling, was prompt to tender his services to 
his country and enlisted as a private soldier. 
Upon the organization of his regiment, in 
1862. he was made a fir.st lieutenant and left 
with his conunand for the front, it being as- 
signed to the Department of the Gulf. After 
an active service of a year in the field his 
health became seriously impaired, and he was 
granted a leave of absence. While convales- 
cing at his home (ieneral Lee crossed the 
Potomac, headed in the direction of Pennsyl- 
vania, and alarming the .\orth. In this emer- 
gency Ciovcrnor Curtin called upon the serv- 
ices of the young soldier and gave him 
authority to raise an additional regiment of 
infantry in northwcstL-rn Pennsylvania, and 
he was given the conuuission of Lieutenant 



50 



Pciinsxk'aitia and Its Public Men. 



Colonel. Before its organization was com- 
pleted, however, an order was issued by the 
War Department directing all officers and en- 
listed men to report immediately to their 
regimental headquarters. Before Colonel An- 
drews was able to reach his regiment the 
Battle of Gettysburg had been fought and 
won by Meade, and he was directed to report 
to General San ford in New York, which city 
was then in the hands of a mob opposing the 
Government's draft. His services in that city 
during this troublesome period earned for 
him high commendation for courage and effi- 
ciency. After the war Colonel Andrews en- 
gaged in mercantile pursuits, principally in 
New York City. In 1884 he established the 
Meadeville Tribune, making of it the leading 
Republican organ of that section and con- 
ducting it with signal ability and success for 
many years. He was extremely active in the 
affairs of the Republican party of Crawford 
County, and his organizing abilities attracting 
the attention of Senator Quay, that "Napol- 
eon," when his prestige and power was at- 
tacked in 189s under the Hastings Adminis- 
tration, drafted his services and attached him 
to his personal staff at the headquarters in 
Philadelphia. He thus became a fixture of 
the Republican State Central Committee. 
Upon the election of the Hon. Boies Penrose 
as United States Senator, in 1897, he selected 
Colonel Andrews as his private secretary, 
which was a most fortunate choice for him, 
as no man ever served another with more 
fidelity, loyalty and industry than he. Col- 
onel Andrews is conceded to be a master of 
detail and an encylopredia of Pennsylvania 
politics. In organizing ability he stands pos- 
sibly without a peer in the country. He has 
accumulated data and personal knowledge of 
men that is invaluable in a campaign. From 
Secretary of the State Committee he was 
chosen Chairman in 1905, and has conducted 
all the campaigns since as such. Besides his 
political work. Colonel Andrew-s has been ac- 
tively employed w^ith his duties in connection 
with Congress, and has been Clerk of the Pos- 
tal Commission authorized by Congress to 
bring about greater efficiency and economy in 
the conduct of postal affairs. 



"Charcoal Billy," a famous Philadelphia 
character, who rang a bell and sang songs 
while peddling charcoal, was arrested by 
Mayor Swift as a nuisance. When released 
next day he drove by the mayor's office with 
his horse "Billy," singing — 
"Go along, Billy, don't 3'ou care. 
You'll be a horse when Swift's no mayor." 



Hon. Dimner Beeber 

jurist and Financier 

Hon. Dimner Beeber is of German stock, 
his great grandfather having settled in Berks 
County in 1768, and was a soldier of the 
Revolution and was granted a tract of valley 
land on the west branch of the Snsr|iiehaiina 




River for his services. This was in Lycom- 
ing County, and there his descendants lived 
for three generations. Mr. Beeber was born 
at IMuncey, March 8, 1854. He was a student 
at Selinsgrove Academy, and" then graduated 
from Pennsylvania College at Gettysburg at 
twenty. Upon graduation in 1874 he entered 
upon the study of law in the offices of his 
brother, J. Artley Beeber, in Williamsport, 
and two years later was admitted to practice. 
In the Centennial year he established himself 
in Philadelphia, where he soon forged to 
leadership of the junior bar. In 18*^4 he be- 
came a partner in the firm of Jones, Carson 
and Beeber; the firm enjoyed an extensive 
practice and was dissolved upon the appoint- 
ment of J. Hampton Carson as Attorney- 
General of Penn.sylvania. Sinc'e then Mr. 
Beeber has practiced alone, having chambers 
in the Land Title Building. 

In 1898 Governor Hastinas appointed him 
to fill a vacancy in the Superior Court bench, 
where he served with distinction. He made 



Pcinisyk'ciiiia and Its Public Men. 



51 



no effort to secure a nomination and election 
for the full term of ten years, and retired to 
his old practice. Xot only in the law has he 
aciiieved distinction and success, but also in 
large business enterprises as well. Mr. 
Beeber is a member of the Union League, and 
has been its Nice-President and President, 
succeeding Governor Stuart in 1906. He is 
also President of the Conmionwealth. Title 
Insurance and Trust Company, to which he 
devotes his time during banking hours. Me 
is a member of the Pennsylvania Club and of 
the American and State Bar .Associations. 
During his college career he was a member 
of the Phi Gamma Delta Society, and has 
since been an honorary member of the Phi 
Beta Kappa. He has been awarded the hon- 
orary degree of .\.M. by Princeton Univer- 
sity. 

Judge Beeber is an independent Republican 
and does not hesitate to participate inde- 
pendently in local political struggles when 
good government is at stake. He is promi- 
nently identified with the German Lutheran 
Church. 



George G. Pierie 

Optimist 

George G. Picric, in the stretch of time be- 
tween the Civil War and the publication of 
this work, led a strenuous and limelight ex- 
istence. Xo better known Philadelphian than 
he. his coming a summer breeze and his going 
a sigh. -After he had his book learning 
knocked into him and polished oft' at the Han- 
cock Grammar School, he clerked for four 
years in the wholesale dry goods house of H. 
J. R. Campbell. Through the influence of his 
father, who was the Secretary of the Com- 
mercial Exchange, as well as the commercial 
editor of the Xortli American, he obtained a 
job as a writer on the Philadelphia Press, a 
difficult thing in those days, since such jobs 
were so few. The opening of the great con- 
flict between the Xorth and the South found 
him just of age. and when President Lincoln 
issued his first call for 75.000 volunteers, 
young Pierie slung aside his pen and enlisted 
in the Washington Cirays. known officiallv 
as the Seventeenth Pennsylvania Regiment. 
Upon the expiration of his term of enlistment 
he returned to Philadelphia, and Col. John W. 
Forney gave him back his old position on the 
staff of the Press. His father dying in 1866. 
Mr. Pierie. who was widely known and im- 
mensely popular with the business men of the 
city, was elected his successor as Secretarv of 
the Commercial Exchange, and was offered 
and accepted his fathers position as commer- 



cial editor of McMichael's .\or!h .liiierieaii. 
When the author of this work joined the staff 
of that paper, in 1875. George < ,. Pierie was 
one of its happy family of editors, and he so 
continued until 1884, when, through the in- 
fluence of David H. Lane, he was elected 
Recorder of Deeds, serving two terms. In 
1899 Mayor Ashbridge appointed him Chief of 
the Bureau of City Property, in the enjoyment 
of which he was disturbed by Mayor Weaver. 
In 1908 Mr. Pierie was appointed by Governor 
Stuart to be one of the ("onmiissioners of Reg- 
istration under the new reform act establish- 




ing personal registration. Mr. Pierie was 
born in Philadelphia on Xovember 4, 1838, 
and is an interesting figure in the political anil 
social life of the city. He is a member of 
Meade Post, Xo. I, G. .\. R. : Union League; 
N'oinig Republicans; the Stylus and the Clover 
Clubs, and of St. .Andrew's Society. He is in- 
dissolub'v associated with the singing of the 
song of the "Darby Ram" at the banqueting 
board, and for half a century or more he has 
been known as a prince of good fellows. His 
lifelong intimacy and association with David 
H. Lane has been a poem. 



When Danifl Webster arose and helped 
lenny Lind to sing the national ainhem. 
friends tugged at his coat tails in vain. When 
the second .Adams began to dig the first spade 
full of earth from the Ohio and Chesapeake 
Canal, he struck stcne and failed. He then 
took off his coat and went at it in his shirt 
sleeves to the great joy of the crowd. 



52 



Pciinsyhaiiia and Its I'uhlic Men. 




George A. Els 



isasser 

Lawyer, Philadelphia 



This prominent lawyer was born in Phila- 
delphia on August 5, 1852, and received his 
primary education in the public schools of this 
city. He did not take a coMegiate course, pre- 
ferring to study law in the offices of his 
brother, Paul M. Elsasser, where he made a 
specialty, in the first place, of real estate, 
law and conveyancing. After mastering this 
branch of the profession, he took up the study 
of law in general, and was admitted to the 
bar, and immediately thereafter he associated 
himself with his brother Paul, in the active 
practice of his profession at 217 South Third 
Street. Upon the death of Mr. Paul Elsasser. 
several years ago. the two practices were com- 
bined, Mr. George Elsasser assuming entire 
control, and he has rapidly increased his 
clientele bv reason of his marked ability in his 



chosen profession. As an evidence of his abil- 
ity, he is counsel for a number of the leading 
manufacturing firms and corporations of the 
city and State, numbering among his clients 
John B. Stetson Co., the well-known hat 
manufacturers, and upon the death of Mr. 
John B. Stetson, with whom Mr. Elsasser had 
a life-long friendship, Mr. Elsasser was named 
as one of the executors of the large estate, a 
position which he still occupies. Mr. Elsasser 
was a member of the Pennsvlvania House of 
Representatives in 1907, representing the 
Tenth District, comprising the Fifteenth 
Ward, his nomination bringing harmony to the 
divided Republicans of the district. The life 
of a Harrisburg statesman was not congenial 
to Mr. Elsasser, and he consequently declined 
re-election. 



Pcnnsxlvaiiia and Its Public Men. 



53 




Edward T. Davis 



Edward T. Davis has achieved a success 
by brain and personal energy that any man 
might be proud of. This. too. without the 
aid of money, as his parents were not weahhy. 
although both came from old and prominent 
families. 

Mr. Davis was born November 19. 1^49, at 
Second and Xoble Streets, Philadeti)hia. 
known at that time as the Northern Liberties. 
His parents were Joseph Davis, of Maryland, 
and Catherine Neal Carlisle, of Delaware. 

He attended the Northeast Grammar School. 
and from there entered the Central Hieh 
School, from which he entered a business col- 
lege. 

He was first employed by Young. Moore 
and Company, and when the house was divided 
went with Henry C. Moore, where he was 
head bookkeeper until the firm discontinued 



business near the close of the Civil War. 
lie enlisted and was appointed Sergeant 
of Ordnances, and assigned to clerical du- 
ties in Washington, where he subsec|uently 
had charge of the Record and Pension 
Division of the .Surgeon (ieneral's Office, until, 
in 1X7,3, when honorably discharged, he re- 
turned to Philadelphia and engaged in the 
wholesale tobacco business, from which he 
retired in 1S76 on account of ill health. In 
1K7S he was cmphiyed by Powers & Weight- 
man, manufacturing chemists, and suksc- 
(|uently accepted the position of private secre- 
tary to William Weightman. with whose great 
financial interests he was identified until Mr. 
W'cightman's death in .\ugust. 1904. On 
January I. 1905, be resigned the position oc- 
cupied for twenty-six years (succeeded by 
Hampton I.. Carson, attorney for Mrs. Pen- 



54 



Pciiiisxk'aiiia and lis Public Men. 



field, sole heir of William Weightman), in 
order to give his entire time to his own varied 
interests which had been accumulating for 
many years and which sorely needed his per- 
sonal attention. 

Mr. Davis is a prominent Mason, being Past 
Master of Corinthian Lodge, Free and Ac- 
cepted ]Masons : Past Eminent Commander of 
Corinthian "Chasseur" Commandery, No. 53, 
Knights Templars: Member of Lulu Temple. 
Ancient Accepted Order Noble of the Mystic 
Shrine. He is also Past Noble Grand of the 
New Temple Lodge and a member of the 
Grand Lodge of Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows of Pennsylvania. 

Mr. Davis was formerly active in club life. 
He was Chairman of the Building Committee 
of the Athletic Club of the .Schuylkill Navy, 
and materially assisted in putting it on a sound 
financial basis. 

He still retains his interests and member- 
ship in the Art Club, Columbus Club, Phila- 
delphia Turf Club, Belmont Driving Club. 
Philadelphia .-Vthletic Club, Philadelphia Au- 
tomobile Club, Phi'adelphia "S'acht Club. Pen 
and Pencil Club of Philadelphia, Automobile 
Club of America. National Arts Club, and 
Lamb's Club of New York, Milwaukee Club 
of Milwaukee, Wis., and Old Public Club of 
Tucson. Ariz. 

Mr. Davis is a director in several trust com- 
panies and manufacturing industries in the 
East, but spends most of his time in the far 
West, where he has laree corporate and real 
estate interests. He is President of the Twin 
Buttes Mining and Smeltin? Companv, of 
Twin Buttes. Ariz., to which enterprise he 
gives most of his attention, but finds time for 
recreation and rest on his ranch of i/.soo 
acres (thirty miles south of Tucson, and about 
twelve miles from the mininar camp). 

On February 28, 1872, Mr. Davis married 
Kate Irvin. daughter of Thomas Irvin. of 
Philadelphia. They have five sons and one 
daughter. Four of bis sons are now married 
and entraged in active business in Philadel- 
phia. Two are graduates of the L^niversity of 
Pennsvlvania. 



Some years ago. at a Democratic State 
Convention at Harrisburg. I was standing at 
the hall door, wdien Dan McCleary, a wiile'v- 
known and picturesque politician of Schuyl- 
kill, attempted to pass in. He had no ticket 
and was halted. 

"Are you a delegate ?" the doorkeeper 
asked. 

"Well, partially so." said Dan; "I have a 
friend inside who is a delegate over whom 
I have great influence." 

Dan was permitted to go in. 



David H. Lane 

Political Nestor 

David H. Lane has been to the politics of 
Pennsylvania and Philadelphia what Thurlow 
Weed was earlier in the last century in the 
politics of New York. He ceased his office 
holding in 1884, but not his political activities 




or party leadership and he can now be justly 
styled the Nestor of Pennsylvania politics. 
Without peradventure he is the most unique 
and interesting political character in the 
LTnited States to-day without being picturesque 
or sensational. 

A stalwart of the stalwarts he has never 
participated in an excursion into the side 
waters of party irregularity or joined in an 
independent movement, but has clung to the 
organization through weather fair or foul. His 
political career dates from the Civil War when 
leadership was not bestowed, but had to be 
gained by sagacity and fighting both under 
cover and in the open. During the larger 
period of this time he has been the undisputed 
political master of the 20th Ward. A review of 
his remarkable career is impossible in the space 
at command and will not be attempted. Be- 
fore he was in politics ten years he began 
candidate making and has never quit the job. 

His father was a sea captain and the family 
an old one in the 5th ward. He had barely 
turned twenty-one when he was appointed a 



I'ciiiisxli'iUiia and Its I'ublic Men. 



55 



clerk in the Tax Office and in 1865 he was 
made chief clerk to Assessor of Internal 
Revenue J. Fletcher Budd. President John- 
son's apostacy caused a change in the oflice 
and he went out with his chief which was 
symbolical of his parly loyally. He then be- 
came a clerk for the State Senate. In 1872 he 
began to score bringing out "The" Walton for 
sheriff. Mr. Lane has held but two lucrative 
offices, being Recorder of Deeds from 1876 to. 
1879. to which he was elected, and Recorder 
of Philadel|)hia from 1879 t" '883 to which he 
was appointed, succeeding M. -S. Quay, who 
had had the office created for himself and who 
quit to accept the secretaryship of the Com- 
monwealth under Governor Hoyt. The 
Recordcrship was an agency for the collection 
of mercantile taxes and liquor liccjises and 
was worth large money in fees to the incum- 
bent. It becaine so unpopular that the Legis- 
lature abolished it. Mr. Lane was for a num- 
ber of years a Trustee of the Gas Works, a 
political oligarchy that ruled the city and he 
was a member of the famous Pilgrim Club, 
composed of politicians of both parties and 
which was broken up by the journalistic as- 
saults of Col. McClure. Mr. Lane profiled by 
the rise of Peter A. B. Widener and attached 
himself to his street railway interests and he 
has been intimately associated with the devel- 
opment and the amalgamation of the street 
car transportation of Philadelphia as well as 
looking after the legislature end. He has con- 
trolled a State Senator since the Constitution 
of 1874. Since 1880 he has dominated the of- 
fice of Coroner of Philadelphia, which has 
been of great protective service to the street 
railway interests he represented and also he has 
controlled 'for years the Committees of the 
Legislature on City Passenger Railways. Dur- 
ing the past quarter of a century he has 
attended as a delegate all the Xational and 
State conventions of his party and Presi- 
dential and gubernatorial inaugurations with 
the exception of that of President Taft. He 
has been the reluctant chairman of the Repub- 
lican City Committee and now is in order to 
maintain the balance of power within a sus- 
picious party organization. Mr. Lane is the 
avowed foe of the Civil service doctrine and 
has never lost occasion to attack it. His ex- 
perience and judicial temperament make him 
valuable as an advising political leader. He 
has frequently been called into consultation 
with leaders of reform movements with the 
view of improving local governmental condi- 
tions, and in 1906 represented the Republican 
organization in the conferences which framed 
the Personal Registration. Uniform Primary, 
Civil Service and other reform and remedial 
laws enacted in the extra legislature session 



of that year. Mr. Lane is a man of profound 
and wide reading and a philosopher as well, 
never cast down by defeat or unduly elated 
bv victories. He is most charming as a com- 
panion, a brilliant conversationalist, the pro- 
prietor of a wondrous memory, and an enter- 
taining speaker, .\s a clima.x to his long politi- 
cal life he was entertained at a dinner at the 
Bellcvuc-Stratford Hotel by the Republican 
City Campaign Committee. I'ebruary 6, 1909, 
a most distinguished gathering, Mr, Lane is 
now 70 years of age and has apparent years 
of activitv still before him. 



How a Politician Gave the Lawyers 
cm Idea 

The Hon. Thomas \'. Cooper, the grini- 
visaged warrior of a thousand political and 
parliamentary battles, was a prime favorite 
of the late Col, Thomas A, Scott, the man 
who made the Pennsylvania Railroad great. 

It is a fact not generally known that Mr, 
Cooper's fertile and resourceful brain pro- 
duced the idea by which the Pennsylvania 
Railroad was enabled to extend its road by 
elevated construction from its old depot at 
Thirty-second and Market Streets to the mam- 
moth Broad Street Station. 

The story is this: One morning Mr. Cooper 
w'as en route from his Media home to Phila- 
delphia on a Pennsylvania Railroad train 
which, along the line, was boarded b)- Colonel 
Scott, 

"Cooper,'' said he, "we are very anxious to 
get the road down to Broad and Market 
Streets, but our lawyers can't clearly sec how 
we can legally do it. Xow, sometimes a ])oli- 
tician's opinion is better than that of a law- 
yer's. Xow get to thinking. " 

As the train jogged along, the Media sage, 
editor, soldier, statesman, and wit put on his 
thinking gear, and the idea happily was born. 

"Why not call it a bridge? Vou have a 
right to bridge the Schuylkill River and so 
continue the bridge to Broad Street. " 

Colonel Scott was delighted with the idea. 

"Ves, by golly, we can call it a bridge." he 
remarked. The idea was given to the cor- 
poration's lawyers, who approved of it. It 
was adopted by the Board of Directors, and 
the result was that the Filbert Street elevated 
was built. 

.\nfl for the idea Senator Cooper received 
a life pass on the Pennsylvania, as he did 
from Robert Lincoln of the Pullman Com- 
pany for his having been a delegate to the 
Republican Xational Convention which nomi- 
nated his father. .Abraham Lincoln, for Presi- 
dent of the United States in i860. 



56 



Pciuisyl-i'aiiia and Its Public Men. 




The West Philadelphia Republican Club 



The city of Philadelphia is noted for its 
political clubs, and it can be claimed success- 
fully for her that she possesses more of them, 
and clubs that are better housed and ap- 
pointed, and with stronger membership, than 
any other city in the Union. 

One of the oldest, if not the oldest, and 
most representative sectional clubs, is the 
West ■ Philadelphia Republican Club, which 
possesses a splendid home, as the photograph 
will show, on Chestnut Street west of Forty- 
first. The roster of members embraces the 
representative Republicans of the great West 
End, with a number of sturdy figures who 
have played in the drama of politics of city 
and State, on its roll of the honored dead. 
The club has been progressive from its in- 
ception back in 1872, and it has enjoyed the 
shelter of four homes, each a decided advance 
upon the other. Its original name was the 
Beowawa Club, and it was social in its pur- 
poses, including well-known political lights 
of the Twenty-fourth and the Twenty-seventh 
Wards. It rented a third-story floor of the 
building at the northeast corner of Thirty- 
seventh and Market Streets. A year after 
its organization, there having been a large 
number of members admitted, its name was 
changed to the Republican Club of West 



Philadelphia. Its first president was George 
E. Hall, a member of Common Council, and 
its first secretary, Edward W. Patton. Hav- 
ing outgrown its quarters it moved, in the 
latter part of 1875, to the premises 2637 
Market Street. It flourished here -until 1881, 
when it applied for a charter, which was 
granted by Judge Allison, with the following 
charter members: Albert A. S. Shields, 
.Sanuiel J. Potts, Daniel H. Kochersberger, 
William H. List, J. Wesley Rose, John 
Markee. Thomas Randall, George W. Ingram, 
Edward W. Patton, William Dixev, Harry C. 
McKnight. 

In 1884 the club was in a condition to erect 
a home of its own, architecturally designed 
for club life, and accordingly a lot, situated 
at 3616 Market Street, was purchased at a 
cost for lot and building of over $12,000, 
mortgages to the amount of $8300 being 
placed. In the year igoo. so splendidly had 
the club thrived in a financial sense, and so 
pressed was it for room, that alterations and 
an addition in the rear were required. In the 
meantime the club had increased in influence 
and importance, as well as in membership, 
so that in 1902 some of the members began a 
movement to give it a new and more com- 
modious home. Two years later a committee, 



rciiitsyli'iiiiia and lis I'lihlic Men. 



57 



headed by Edward W. Patton, appointed to 
obtain more fitting quarters, decided upon the 
old Ilaniihon School building. 4105 Cliestnut 
Street, which was purchased for $20,000. At 
the time the property was occupied by the 
I->ee Library of Philadelphia for its West 
Philadelphia branch, which was not disturbed 
in its occupancy until July. 11)05. .Alterations 
to properly fit it for club purposes were pro- 
jected and carried out. the entire cost reach- 
ing $33,000 without fittings and furnishing. 
As the club had up to this time never given 
a benefit or excursion, or had called upon its 
friends or the public for any help, it was 
determined that subscriptions should be ap- 
plied for. and $6500 in actual cash was raised 
from this source. The sale of the old house. 
a fair conducted by the ladies, and a theatrical 
benefit greatly reduced the indebtedness, so 
that now the club is almost free of debt and 
the owner of a splendid property. • It is 
equipped with a pool and billiard room, bowl- 
ing alleys, card rooms, reception room, shuffle 
boards, and an auditorium seating five hun- 
dred people, while the stage accessories, scen- 
ery, etc., are ample to place any show before 
an audience that can be given at any ortlinary 
vaudeville or sketch house. 

In the old days as a marching club, the club 
has turned out a thousand uniformed march- 
ers, while it has attended the inaugurations 
of nearly every president and governor in the 
last thirty years. There have graduated from 
its membership to high office such shinins; 
Republicans as P. l'". Rothermal, E. Harper 
Jeffries, William Elwood Rowan, John \1. 
Walton, Hon. George D. McCreary. Hon. 
William D. Kelly, Hon. C. Wesley Thomas, 
Horatio B. Connelt. Christian Kneass. Frank 
F. Bell, Judges W'illiam B. Hanna, William 
X. Ashman, and Xorris Barrett. 



Aaron Burr : "Everything is law that is 
boldly asserted and publicly maintained." 

Herr Spatz came down to the Legislature 
from Berks. Herr Spatz was hot stuff at home 
and he was hot stuff in the Legislature. He 
was a Martin Luther sort of a statesman. He 
was long on reform, as his speeches attested. 

He arose one day, charged with hot-air. 
to hurl his shafts at the Republican party, 
when there was an outbreak on the part of 
the suffering members and he could not pro- 
ceed. Speaker Boyer finally restored order, 
and then nodded in the direction of the gen- 
tleman as a silent reminder that he could pro- 
ceed. Herr Spatz, resuming his favorite posi- 
tion in the middle of the aisle in order to 
give his arms room to swing and addressing 
the chair, asked: "Mr. Speaker, am I ready?" 



J. Benjamin Dimmick 

Mayor of the Cily o( Sctanton 

J. Benjamin Dimmick was born in Hones- 
dale, Pa.. October 3, iX.sH. and is consequently 
in his prime. He received a thorough ele- 
mentary education, and subse(|uently prepared 
for college at .Vdam's .Academy. Quincy, 




Mass., and at Phillip's Exeter Academy, and 
entered Vale College in the class of 1881. 
where he completed the academy course with 
the exception of the last term of the senior 
year, when, owing to ill-health, he was com- 
pelled to abandon his studies. Mr. Dimmick 
then made an extended tour through Europe. 
.Subsequently his alma mater conferred upon 
him the degrees of B..\. and M.,'\. The bend 
of his mind being in the direction of the law. 
he became a student in the ofiice of William 
H. Dimmick. Esq.. and was admitted to the 
bar of Wayne County in 1882. Settling in 
.Scranton in 1883, he formed a law co-part- 
nership with his cousin, Edward C. Dimmick. 
.Again ill-health overtook him. causing him to 
sever his business connection from his cousin, 
and he again went abroad. Passing most of 
his time in Switzerland, he. however, re- 
turned to Scranton in 1893. and interested 
himself in -business affairs rather than to 
.igain take up the practice of his profession. 
Mayor Dimmick is the son of .Attorney-CJen- 



58 



Pciiiisvlvaiiia and Its Public Men. 



eral Samuel E. Dimmick, of Honcsdale, who 
served under the administration of Governor 
Geary, and who died while in office, his mother 
being Lucretia M. (Benjamin) of New York. 
He is President of the Lackawanna Trust and 
Safe Deposit Company, and Scranton Lace 
Curtain Company, and is on the Board of 
Directors of the Third National and South 
Side Banks, all of which institutions are 
located in Scranton. He is a firm friend of 
the Scranton Public Library, and was at one 
time President of the Scranton School Board. 
There are few men who have other than 
selfish motives, but among the few who have 
benevolent dispositions there is none who is 
more entitled to a conspicuous mention than 
the subject of this sketch. He is much in- 
terested in the Scranton Society for the Pre- 
vention and Cure of Consumption, and of the 
Pennsylvania Oral School for the Deaf, in 
both of which institutions he holds a respon- 
sible position of trustee. Mr. Dimmick was 
married on November 9, 1881, to Miss Louise 
H. Hunt, daughter of Dr. E. K. and Mary 
Crossby (Hunt), of Hartford, Conn. He is 
a prominent member of a number of leading 
social and literary organizations, among which 
may be mentioned the University Club and 
the Yale Club, the National Arts Club of 
New York City, and of the Scranton Club and 
Country Club, of Scranton, Pa., and is as well 
known in the social sphere as he is admired 
and respected by all with whom he comes into 
contact. His administration as Mayor of 
Scranton and his effort for civic betterments 
have given him a national reputation, and in 
1909 he was conspicuously mentioned for 
United States Senator to succeed Philander 
C. Knox. 



Governor Tom Young was one of the most 
charming men whom I have ever known. A 
tvpical Ohio politician, he had a rare faculty 
of remembering faces and names. President 
Hayes made him the American Minister to 
Siam. Mr. Young was home on leave when 
I was introduced to him in Washinofton. and 
I met him at Chamberlain's quite frequently. 
While having a social session one evening, I 
asked the Governor how he liked Siam as a 
place of residence. He responded with a 
glowing description, but added that like all 
countries under the sun it had its drawbacks. 
I asked him to name its chief drawbacks. 
"Well." said he. "after the fleas, the bed bugs, 
and the barking of the (lo?s all niffht, I think 
that the custom they have of compelling every- 
body to arise at sunrise and before break- 
fast imprint a kiss upon the hinderquarter of 
the sacred white elephant, is the chiefest draw- 
back." 



D. Clarence Gibboney 

D. Clarence (iibboney is one of the most 
talked about men in the city of Philadelphia, 
and has a reputation that is national. .\s the 
active head of one of the most aggressive 
Law and Order Societies in the country, he 




has for years exercised a powerful restraining 
influence on the liquor trade of the State's 
metropolis. A natural-born reformer, he is 
the hated foe and the uncompromising enemy 
of the grafter and the ballot thief in politics, 
and his services are given unstintedly to po- 
litical reform movements and for civic right- 
eousness. He has demonstrated his strength 
before the people to the amazement of the 
professional politicians with whose plans he 
has more than once interfered. Mr. Gibboney 
was born in Iowa, December 12, 1868. His 
father was a veteran of the Civil War, and a 
native of Philadelphia, removing to the State 
of Iowa in 1854. Mr. Gibboney settled in 
Philadelphia in 1886, and, reading law, was 
admitted to the bar. He became connected 
with the Law and Order Society in 1889, and 
has been its executive officer since 1890. Un- 
der his vigorous and strenuous opposition to 
the liquor trade the number of saloons in 
Philadelphia has been reduced from 5773 to 
1970, and these, he declares, "are the best 
conducted of any large city in the United 
States." In 1906 Mr. Giblsoney was com- 



rciiiisxlvaiiia and fis I'lihlic Men. 



59 



pillcd hy existing jjolitical cnnditions to ac- 
cept the nomination of tiie reform and Demo- 
cratic parlies for District Attorney, and polleil 
107.X00 votes. Again, in 1908. he rehictantly 
consented to make the campaign for Sheriff 
as the candidate of tlie i^eform. or the i'hila- 
delpliia I'arly. and notwithstanding he had 
but a limited time to make the canvass and 
a demoralized organization hack of him, he 
succeeded in having counted 73,500 votes for 
himself, his friends believing tiiat he was 
rol)hcd of many other thousands. .And again 
this great showing stunned and astonished the 
politicians of both the old parties. Mr. Gih- 
boney is a speaker of uncommon force, and 
his services are in constant demand. 



Early Reform Days of Mr. Blankenburg 

Rudolph Blankenburg, the picturesque and 
Ijizarre reform leader, came to the public sur- 
face in the early days of the old Committee of 
One Hundred. 

One of the first big mass meetings held un- 
der its auspices was at O.xford Hall, in the 
Twenty-ninth Ward, Philadelphia. I was as- 
signed to make a report of it, and well do I 
recollect the night. It was a wild and stormy 
one, the wind high and gusty, and the sleet 
coming down in torrents. N'otwithstanding 
the inclemency, so intense was the public in- 
terest and so great was the desire to crush the 
old Gas Ring, that the big hall was crowded. 
The first speaker introduced was Rudolph 
Blankenburg. He was a new man to the re- 
porters, and none of us knew him. or had ever 
heard of him. 

He advanced to the front of the platform, 
and just then a gust of wind hurled the sleet 
against the large windows with a terrific 
force. This suggested to him an opening line. 
as he said : '■^ly f-r-i-nds, you do me proud." 
(Then pointing to the audience) "a house like 
dis (then pointing to the window) und a night 
like dot." This sally caught the crowd, and 
it howled and stamped with delight. But Mr. 
Blankenburg developed into one of the most 
forcible and etifectivc political stumpers in the 
State of Pennsylvania. Some years after I 
had occasion to interview the gentleman at 
Harrisburg during a fight over one of the re- 
form bills, and between my own bad penm.in- 
ship. or errors in transmission, or the mistakes 
of the printer, the article, as it appeared in the 
Pbilad'^lphia Evciiiuq Hiillcliii. was distorted 
and badlv mixed. The next day I went to Mr. 
Blankenburg for another interview, when star- 
ing at me he indignantly waved me aside, sav- 
ing: "Xot one v-i-e-rd wid you. Mr. Hudson, 
not one v-i-e-rd." 



Thomas J. Ryan 

Political Leader 

Thomas J. Ryan, for a quarter of a century 
or more, has been a sturdy and commanding 
figure in the Democratic politics of Philadel- 
phia and the State of I'ennsylvania. During 
much of that period be has divided the honor 




of party leadership with Charles P. Donnelly, 
b'or years he has had the distinction of being 
the sole I3emocrat in Select Council and the 
leader of the only Democratic ward of the 
city. He was born and bred in an atmosijbcre 
of politics, which it can be said has been his 
staff of life. He was born in Philadeli)hia 
Xovember I, 1857. His entrance into public 
life was made in 1881, when he was elected 
a member of Common Council from the Sixth 
Ward, wherein from his birth be has estab- 
lished his vine and fig tree. In 18S4 he was 
advanced to membership in Select Council, 
where he served as a conspicuous minority 
member until 1891, when he was appointed 
Harbor Master by Governor Pattison, suc- 
ceeding Robert S. Patterson, who died soon 
after taking oflice. In the memorable Na- 
tional campaign of i8q6, which resulted in 
Mr. Bryan's first defeat for the presidency. 
Mr. Ryan was elected County Commissioner, 
and in 1899, he was re-elected, thus serving 
for six years. lanuary i, 1903. he again re- 
turned to his old seat in Select Council, which 



60 



Pennsylvania and Its I'nblic Men. 



he continues to occupy. At the end of his 
term in 1908, Mr. Ryan signified his intention 
to retire from councihiianic work, which de- 
cision raised such a storm of protest from the 
people of the Sixth Ward that they met in 
mass meeting to protest, and succeeded in per- 
suading him to a rehictant consent to continue 
to represent them. Mr. Ryan has been an 
active member and a factor of the Democratic 
City Executive Committee for twenty-five 
years. He has been a delegate to every State 
convention in that time, a delegate to National 
conventions, and innumerable county nominat- 
ing conventions. He has named many of his 
party's candidates during that time, and for 
twenty years he has been a member of the 
Democratic State Committee. 

Mr. Ryan is one of the most popular of 
men, enjoying a national acquaintanceship. 
He is identified with amusement enterprises 
at Coney Island and Willow Grove Park, and 
is a speaker of much force. 



Mr. Singerley Orders Me to Run for 
City Councils 

I had an amusing and rather unique experi- 
ence as an involuntary candidate for Common 
Council from the Eighth Ward, Philadelphia, 
in 1884. At that time I was employed on the 
Record, and aside from writing politics, had 
never dabbled with the profession or had am- 
bition to fill an office. 

While in the "intellectual department" of 
the Philadelphia Record one morning, a mes- 
sage came to me to see Mr. William M. Sin- 
gerley in his office immediately. 

Fearing that I was to be hauled over the 
coals for something, I sought the presence of 
the great magnate of the Record with consid- 
erable trepidation. 

"Sam," said he, in his characteristic brusque 
and snappy fashion, "I want you to run for 
Common Council in the Eighth Ward." 

I thought the man's mentality was amiss, 
and replied: "But I don't want to run for 
Common Council." 

"That don't make a d d bit of difference 

what you want or don't want ; I say I want 
vou to run for Common Council and Mayor 
Smith wants you to run." 

"But, Mr, Singerley, I haven't got the 
money to run." 

"I'll see to the money. You go to-night to 
the corner of Sixteenth and Sansom Streets 
and accept the Democratic nomination from 
the ward convention. Make a speech, and 
then take 'em to McGowan's and blow 'em 
off," and Mr. Singerley handed me a wad. 

I accepted Mr. Singerley's burden more in 
the nature of a newspaper assignment than 
in a spirit of patriotism, and just as if he 



had ordered me to report a prize fight or a 
murder trial. 

The convention nominated me and I ac- 
cepted in the humor of a drafted soldier. 

Mayor William B. Smith sent for me the 
next day and informed me that I was the city 
administration and Democratic candidate, and 
that I would be backed to the limit by him. 
My opponent was the late Wencil Hartman, 
who subsequently was elected sheriff", and who 
was the gas trust candidate. 

Mayor Smith further encouraged me with 
the giad news that he had $500 for my fight, 
and that he would see that the money and 
myself would get connected. 

The campaign was full of ginger, and at- 
tracted town attention. The city office hold- 
ers, the sporting element, and the crooked 
fraternity that flourished through the "pro- 
tection" that was afforded by "the front," 
supported me, together with all the influence 
that Mr. Singerley could bring to bear. 

The Sunday previous to the election I re- 
ceived a telegram from Mayor Smith to call 
at once at his residence on North Broad 
Street. 

After a half-hour's discussion of the fight. 
Mayor Smith said : "There is a package con- 
taining $500 for you to use on election day 
as I promised. It is in the possession of 
Mr. ," mentioning a prominent Demo- 
crat now dead. I called upon the gentleman 
named who made profuse apologies and told 
me that he had given the package to Mr. 

, designating a gentleman then active 

as a Democrat, and who has been enjoying 
the fruits of office for many years. 

This gentleman was sorrowful that the 
package had passed out of his custody, and 
directed me to go and see the lieutenant of 
police at the station house. 

I had hoped that I would overtake the 
"goods" in its mysterious ramifications, and 
(lid. The police lieutenant went to a drawer 
and handed me a package. 

When I reached home and opened it I was 
jarred somewhat to find but $200 in it. In its 
travels it had lost $300, as Mayor Smith 
assured me upon his honor that when it had 
left his office there were five one hundred 
dollar notes in the package. 

If the package hadn't been tampered- with 
I would have won. as I was returned defeated 
by but 26 majority. It was a clear case of 
"count out," and the job was done by a Demo- 
cratic judge of election by the name of Fagan, 
in a division bordering on the Schuylkill. 
Had T won I might have arisen to the mayor- 
alty of Philadelphia perhaps. 



Artemus Ward: "I'm no politician, and niy 
habits are good." 



J\-iiiisyI:\iiiia and Its i'liblic Men. 



61 



Charles Benton 

Charles Benton has l)ccn a bright particular 
star in the political antl business firniainent of 
Philadelphia for many years. In trade he fol- 
lowed the ffiotsteps of his father, and is one 
of the leadinsr lumber dealers of the citv. 




About iSj2 his father, who was a resuleiil of 
Oswego County, Xew York, and who had 
been a raftsman and lumberman on the Dela- 
ware River, decided to emigrate to Philadel- 
phia, and brought his family down to that city 
on a raft of logs. He immediately started in 
the lumber business in old Soulhwark. 

Charles Benton was born in Philadelphia in 
1844. and received the most of his education 
at Quaker Farm School in Center County, 
which is now the Penn.sylvania State College. 
He had a great talent for business, and the 
early age of twenty-two found him estab- 
lished in the lumber trade at Front and Whar- 
ton Streets, next to the Xavy Yard. The 
government having purchased this property, 
he moved to Front and Reed .Streets, where 
his business is still being conducted, and is 
now under the firm name of A. Benton & 
Brother. Mr. Benton was raised at the foot 
of Washington .Avenue next door to the cele- 
brated X'olunteer Refreshment .Saloon, in 
which thousands of soldiers, cii route to the 
"front,"' were fed during the Civil War. His 
father being a Democrat, he natural'y identi- 



fied himself with that party, and began to take 
an interest in the politics of the First Ward 
at early manhood. In 1884 he was nominated 
by the Democratic party as a candidate for 
Receiver of Taxes, and after an exciting cam- 
paign was only defeated by 6000 majority by 
Henry Clay. He polled some 100,000 votes, 
or the Democratic high-water mark of Phila- 
delphia. He was also a candidate of his 
])arty for Recorder of Deeds. For some years 
lie was active in Democratic jjolitics in the 
.Vinth Ward. Mr. B.enton is a member of 
Meridian Sun Lodge 158, Masonic Frater- 
nity, member of the Road Drivers' .Associa- 
tion, is fond of athletics and a good horse. 
He was one of the managers of the famous 
Democratic ,\niericus Club for many years, 
and is regarded by thousands of friends as 
an all around good fellow. 



The Double of Senator Fred. DuBois 

The Washington Times printed the follow- 
ing : — 

'"Senator DuBois, of Idaho, has a remark- 
able double in the person of Col. Sam Hudson, 
the \\'ashinglon correspondent of the Phila- 
delphia Bulletin, and thereby hangs the fol- 
lowing tale : — 

" "During the recent meeting of the Repub- 
lican National Committee, a member from 
one of the Western States, who thought he 
knew DuBois very well, approached Mr. Hud- 
son in the lobby of the Arlington Hotel. He 
immediately engaged him in conversation, and 
during the talk gave the newspaper corre- 
spondent a very good inkling of some of the 
schemes that the Idaho Senator was planning 
to i)ut through. Mr. Hudson did not indicate 
in any way that he was not the w-estern states- 
man, and permitted the National Committee- 
man to talk freely about the schemes that had 
been concocted between DuBois and himself, 
and other inen who were endeavoring to 
manipulate the Coniinittee. 

" 'Mr. DuBois discovereil later on that his 
friend from the West had tipped off all his 
plans to the newspaper correspondent, but he 
is now satisfied that there is one newspaper 
correspondent in the country who may be 
possessed of information which he will not 
])rint to the detriment of public men. 

"' 'Mr. Hudson simply received the informa- 
tion, but made no use of it. He has time and 
time again been taken for Senator DuBois. 
but the Idaho statesman is now instructing his 
friends in Washington not to talk too freely 
regarding his political schemes to any man 
unless perfectly satisfied that DuBois is that 
man." "' 



62 



Pcui!s\hania and Its Public Men. 



Hon. Martin Edgar Olmsted 

Dauphin Counly 

Martin Edgar Olmsted is one of the leading 
lawyers in corporation law in Pennsylvania, 
enjoying a large and lucrative practice and 
representing at the State capital some of the 
most important cori)orations of the common- 




wealth and nation. He was born in Ulysses 
Township, Potter County, Pa., and is the son 
of Henry J. His education was confined to 
the common schools and the Coudersport 
Academy. Soon after coming of age he was 
appointed as Assistant Corporation Clerk by 
General Hartranft, then Auditor-General, 
and afterward Governor, and removed to 
Harrisburg, where he has since resided. He 
was subsequently promoted to the important 
position of Corporation Clerk, and as such also 
served under Auditor-General Harrison Allen. 
He had special charge of the collection of 
taxes from corporations under Pennsylvania's 
peculiar revenue system. The intricate 
knowledge he attained in this position made 
him an authority as to the State's corcora- 
tion laws. He read law under Judge John 
W. Siminton, late President Judge of the 
Dauphin County Court, and was a<lmitted to 
the bar of that county November 25, 1878, to 
the bar of the State Supreme Court, May 16. 
iSSi, and to'the liar of the .Supreme Court of 



the United States, November 12, 1884. He 
was elected to represent Dauphin County in 
the proposed Constitutional Convention in 
1891. He was married October 26, l8go, to 
Gertrude, daughter of Major Conway B. 
Howard, of Richmond, Va. ; received hon- 
orary degree of doctor of laws from Lebanon 
X'alley College and from Dickinson College 
in 1905. He began his congressional career 
in the Fifty-fifth Congress, representing the 
old Fourteenth District, and has since repre- 
sented the new Eighteenth District, having 
been re-elected to the Si.xty-first Congress. 
Mr. Olmsted is conceded to be one of the 
strong members of Congress, an able and in- 
teresting debater. He has been chairman of 
Elections Committee No. 2 for several terms, 
and his name has been mentioned in connec- 
tion with the governorship upon several occa- 
sions. He is one of the Republican party 
leaders of the State, and a man of unbounded 
popularity. 

An Ode to the Editor 

How big are the newspaper editors, pa. 

That people call them great ? 
Are they so strong they write with pens 

That weigh a hundredweight ? 
And as they write in their annex high. 

With none to bid reproof. 
Are they so tall they dip their pens 

In tanks upon the roof? 
Then, pa, why do they call them great. 

Why their favor do they sue ? 
Are the scissors that they use so big 

That they'd cut a man in two? 
And as they sit in their gloomy dens. 

Do they growl and show their teeth ? 
Do they eat an office boy for lunch ? 

Do they write with hands and feet? 
My son, we call the editors great. 

Not because they may be stout or tall, 
Not because they invariably call for "lilood" 

When asked to take a ball. 
The reason that we call them great. 

My son, as you will see. 
Is because we have to toady "em up, 

Or they'd write in a different key. 
The reason why we climb the stair, 

And seek them in their dens. 
And consult of this and then of that, 

Is because we require their pens. 
The editor is a mechanical force, 

He moves the world along, 
He compels us to look his way, 

And to join him in his song. 
But the ereat editor sometimes is left. 

In making directors and mayors, 
And, then his anger is frightful to see. 

As he scratches his pen upstairs. 

— S.\M Hudson. 



Pciiiisylz'aiiia and lis Public Men. 



63 



Hon. Monroe H. Kulp 

Shamokin 

Monroe H. Kulp is a typical business man 
whom the great natural resources of Pennsyl- 
vania has developed. He is a native of Barlo, 
County of Berks, where he was born October 
23, 1858. His ])arents removed to Shamokin 
in 1807. They were able to bestow upon him 
a liberal education, and after graduating at the 
State Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio, he was 
sent to Eastman's Business College at i'ough- 
keepsie, Xew York, he having decided upon a 
business career. Mr. Kulp has led a strenuous 
and busy life, and apart from his multifarious 
business interests he has found time to de- 
vote to politics, in which he has been an in- 
fluential factor. He was elected to the I'ifty- 
fourth Congress as a Republican from the then 
Seventeenth District. conii>rising the counties 
of Northumberland, Columbia, .Montour and 
Sullivan, and subsequently re-elected to the 
Fifty-fifth Congress. He was popularly known 
throughout the district and .State by the sou- 
briquet of "Farmer" Kulp, which he will prob- 
ably retain throughout his life. 

Mr, Kulp was actively identified with the 
insurgental Re])ublicans of the State, whose 
object was the elimination of Senator Quay 
and the destruction of his political machine. 
In his business atTiliations he is the senior 
member of the firm of Monroe H. Kulp & 
Company, lumber dealers and contractors of 
Shamokin : president of the following corpor- 
ations: Kulp Lumber Companv of Maryland, 
a large operation at Xew Cumberland, Md. ; 
Kulp Planing Mill Co. of Lcwistnwn, Pa.: 
.American Filter and Cooler Co. : is president 
and owns controlling interest in the Shamokin 
and Edgewood Elective Railway, and is the 
original promoter of the famous Edgewood 
P'ark ; director of the Shamokin and Coal 
l\)wnship Light and Power Co,, and the 
Shamokin (ias Illumination Co,; member of 
the firm of Kulp & Savidge. developers or the 
suburban towns of Edgewood and Fairview, 
owner and developer of the town of Kulptown. 
near Mt. Carmel. now three years old, and 
havin,g a population of 7600. 

Mr. Kulp is a thirty-second degree Mason, 
member Philadelphia Consistorv, Rajah Tem- 
ple. A. A. O. X. M. S. of Reading, Elks, 
Knights of the Golden Eagles, Red Men, Sons 
of \'eterans, the L'nion League, and Manu- 
facturer's Club of Philadelphia, the Ross 
Club and Larry's Creek Hunting and Fishing 
Club of W'illiamsport, and the Club of the 
Shamokin. 



Rutan Makes a Scene in the Senate 

One of the funniest scenes I ever saw- 
enacted in the State .Senate of Pennsylvania 
had .Senator Rutan as the center piece. He 
had been making merry with a l)ottlc and 
cards with some friends in the room of the 
Lieutenant-Governor. There was a bill on the 
calendar that he was strongly opposed to, and 
which he was watching keenly. 

It was the adjournment hour of the morn- 
ing session, and a page entered the room and 
informed him that the hated bill was up. 
The page had been sent by a wag, of course. 

Rutan made his way into the old Senate 
Chamber "as full as a lord," and as he foun<l 
his seat. Senator Penrose was on his feet with 
a motion to adjourn. 

Rutan, once down in his seat, was unable 
to arise, and in attempting it slid from his 
chair. He managed to get his head above the 
big, old-fashioned desk and got the attention 
of the presiding officer, saying, "Mizzer 
Pres.," and then disappearing. Managing to 
pull himself together, the attention of the 
entire .Senate being attracted to him, he got 
his head again above the desk and again ad- 
dressed the chair: "Mizzer Pres." .And 
again did he disappear as if swallowed up. 
The Senators were convulsed with laughter 
by this time, which broke out into a roar 
when Rutan again assayed *to address the 
chair. He was now kneeling on the floor and 
his bald head and face were just visible over 
the top of the desk, but he was determined 
to halt that bill over which he was so much 
exercised. "Mizzer Pres. " .A pause. "Mizzer 
Pres., I'm 'posed to sich wishus legislashun. 
I move the bill be rekermitted," and again 
did he collapse antl disappear. 

The motion to adjourn was then put and 
carried after the laughter had ceased. It was 
a long time before the Senators allowed Rutan 
to forget that he regarded a motion to ad- 
journ as "wishus legislashun." 



Thomas Jefferson was (he only red-headed 
President of the United States. 



Some years ago. Editor (Jable, of Chris. 
Magee's Pittsburg Times, wrote an editorial 
attacking the leader of a reform movement 
in that city, Mr. Gable's "department of in- 
tellectual activity" was drawn upon for its 
fiercest expletives, and the explosion was 
destined to take high rank in newspaperdoni. 
Before its publication. Editor Gable called in 
a friend to receive his criticism and judgment, 
and he read to him the article in proof, 

"Well, what do you think of it?" was asked, 
"It is a gem in its way," was the reply. 

"Vou begin by calling him a son of a b . 

and then gradually become abusive." 



64 



rcmisvlraiiia and Its Public Men. 



Hon. Benjamin F. Meyers 

Harrisburg 

Benjamin F. Meyers, of Dauphin County, 
Pennsylvania, has heen a force in the poUtical 
and business life of the Keystone State for 
nearly half a century. The date of his birth 




was July 6, 1833. and the place. New Center- 
ville, Somerset County. 

His great-grandfather, Jacob Meyers, of 
Lancaster County, was of German extraction: 
his grandfather was John Meyers, of Meyers- 
dale, Somerset County, a man of much in- 
fluence. His father was Michael D., whose 
mother's maiden name was Dickey, her father 
being a natiye of Northern Ireland. 

Mr. Meyers enjoyed more than common 
educational advantages, taking a course at the 
Somerset Academy, and graduating at Jeffer- 
son College, Cannonsburg. Pennsylvania. He 
entered political life with enthusiasm at an 
early age, since at twenty-four, and in 1857, he 
was intrusted with the chairmanship of the 
Democratic Executive Committee of Somerset 
County. 

At the end of that year the opportunity came 
to him to assume charge of the Bedford Ga.:- 
efte, and to newspaper publication and editing 
he devoted his life, being, possibly, the oldest 
publisher in the State in continuous service. He 
successfully conducted the Gazette for sixteen 
years, wdien he removed to Harrisburg, in 



1868, and assumed the editorship of the Daily 
Patriot, the Democratic organ of the State 
capital, becoming its owner, and being identi- 
fied with it until 1871. He then disposed of 
his interest, and purchased the Star-Independ- 
ent, of which he is still the proprietor, and 
which he has developed into one of the finest 
newspaper properties in the interior of the 
State. While editing the Bedford Gazette, in 
1864, he was elected to the Legislature. His 
influence and popularity in the Democratic 
party steadily increased, and in 1875, as the 
candidate for Congress against the late John 
Cessna, he won a notable victory in the strong 
Republican district composed of Adams, Bed- 
ford, Franklin, Fulton and Somerset Counties. 

Mr. Meyers was State Printer from 1874 to 
1877, and postmaster of Harrisburg from 1887 
until 1892, under President Cleveland. He has 
long been one of the Democratic party leaders 
of the State, and has been actively identified 
with the development of up-State traction rail- 
roads. He has been a delegate to a number of 
Democratic national conventions, and is a 
writer of great force. During his busy life he 
found the time to write and publish a volume 
of verses for free distribution only among 
friends and relatives, entitled "A Dream of 
Anil)ition," and other furtive verses. 

]\Ir. Meyers was Treasurer of the Demo- 
cratic State Committee of 1908. 



Hon. William Flinn's Story 

The following story was brought to the 
legislature liy the Hon. William Flinn : — ■ 

In the Fifth Ward of Pittsburg there is a 
well-known character by the name of Michael 
O'Poole. On a certain occasion he was pro- 
posed for membership in a lodge of Odd Fel- 
lows. At a meeting night of the lodge a 
visitor came to the ante-room on urgent busi- 
ness with one of the muck-a-mucks. He met 
a member who was going downstairs with an 
empty coal scuttle. 

"What do you want ?" asked the Odd Fel- 
low. 

"I want to see Mr. Blank, and I want to 
see him badly." 

"Well, he's busy in the lodge and you can't 
see him. See ?" 

The Odd Fellow disappeared and some time 
after re-appeared bending under the weight 
of a scuttle full of coal. The visitor again 
asked to be allowed to have a few words with 
the muck-a-muck. 

The Odd Fellow replied, snappishly: "Well, 
you can't see him. He's busy. We're votin' 
on a big Irishman, and ran out of black balls; 
I've just been down the cellar to get this 
scuttle of coals to provide the rest of the 
brethren with them." 



Peiuisxlzvina and Its Public Moi. 



65 



Hon. John Herr Landis 

Lancaster 

Jiiliii Ilcrr Landis. Superintendent of the 
Philadeli)hia Mint, is a man who has been 
much in the public eye, and can be placed in 
the class of constructive statesmen. His repu- 
tation will rest with, and his monument will 




probably be, the law legalizing primary elec- 
tions in Pennsylvania. When this bill ap- 
peared in the Legislature it was frowned upon 
by the political organizations and the practical 
politicians, since it was shutting the door upon 
wholesale opportunities for frauds which could 
be committed with impunity. Mr. Landis 
urged this bill upon an unw-illing Legislature 
for years, and finally saw it become a law- 
through his persistence and a public sentiment 
which he had created. Mr. Landis is a native 
of the fair County of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 
having been born in Manor Township. January 
31. 1853. His opportunities for an education 
were limited and confined to the public schools 
and lyceums of his county. Born upon a farm, 
he devoted his life, until the age of forty, to 
the cultivation of the soil. He then became 
the owner of the Colfax Glen Mills at W'in- 
dom. Pennsylvania, which he successfully con- 
ducted until l<S<)4. 

L'pon attaining his majority he identified 
himself with the Republican party, and took an 



active interest in its affairs. .\t this period the 
Republicans of Lancaster were faction-torn, 
and the battles of the "Bull Ring" and the 
"Hog Ring" attracted the attention of the 
.State. In 1878 Mr. Landis was elected a 
member of the lower house of the Legislature, 
and at once took a position of prominence, be- 
ing well equipped as a debater and in parlia- 
mentary tactics. He was re-elected in 1880, 
and again in 1882. 

During the national campaign of 1S84 he 
was one of the editors of The I'liintcd Knight, 
published in Lancaster City in the interest of 
Blaine and Logan. In 1890 Mr. Landis was 
appointed by President Harrison to take the 
United .States census of Lancaster County. 
For a number of years he was the president 
of the Lancaster County .\gricultural Society, 
and under his management the fairs held by it 
attained a great repute. The reputation that 
he had olitained as a member of the Legisla- 
ture, and his popularity in the county, enabled 
him to command the nomination for .State 
Senator in 1892. and he was elected by a large 
majoritv. During his term in the Senate he 
took high rank, and served with great distinc- 
tion. He did not seek a re-election. In i8g6 
he was a Presidential elector. IMr. Landis. 
upon his retirement from the State .Senate, be- 
came the president of the Old Girard Fire and 
Storm Insurance Company, which he has 
brought to a condition of great prosperity. 
President McKinley appointed Mr. Landis on 
the recommendations of Senators Ouay and 
Penrose, chief coiner of the United States 
Mint at Philadelphia, which position he filled 
until he received the appointment of Superin- 
tendent of the Mint by President Roosevelt in 
1902. 



Senator Flinn's Pony Stable 

.\ remark that was made by the Hon. Will- 
iam Flinn, of Pittsburg, in the State Senate 
chamber, convulsed those who heard it with 
laughter. 

.-\t the beginning of the session of 1897, 
the Hon. George .\. \'are, of Philadelphia, 
presented himself at the bar to be sworn in. 
He was belated, owing to some circumstance, 
and he took the oath alone. Mr. Vare was 
diminutive in stature, and, physically, one of 
the smallest men who has ever been a mem- 
ber of the body. 

Senator Flinn happened to walk into the 
chamber as the oath was being administered 
bv Judge McPherson, of the Dauphin Court, 
and the diminutiveness of the new statesman 
struck him as being something grotesque, in- 
spiring him to say: '"Great God, has the 
Senate of Pennsylvania degenerated into a 
ponv stable?" 



66 



Fcnnsxlz'aiiia and lis I'tihlic Men. 



Hon. J. Henry Cochran 

Williamsport 

J. Henry Cochran has Ix-en a central figure 
in the business and the political life of Lycom- 
ing County and of the city of Williamsport 
for more than thirty years, and is justly re- 
garded as its first citizen. He is a man who 
has not sought political honors, and if he had 
he could have been elected to Congress and 
been his party's candidate for Governor. He 
has been satisfied to remain in the State Sen- 
ate of Pennsylvania, in which he has been the 
party leader of the Democrats, and his ca- 
reer in that body includes the years from 1895 
until the present. Mr. Cochran is serving his 
last term as a Senator, as he desires to retire 
from business and political cares and devote 
his remaining years to the enjoyment of life. 
He is the owner of a fine plantation in Tide 
Water, Virginia, where he obtains relaxation 
and good health. 

Senator Cochran is a native of the State of 
Maine, having been born at Calais, January 
15, 1845. His parents removed to Pennsylva- 
nia in 1862, settling in Williamsport. He en- 
gaged in the occupation of a lumberman, one 
of the principal industries of that section, and 
subsequently became an operator on his own 
account, gradually extending his operations 
until he became a lumber king. It was lum- 
ber that laid the foundation of his large for- 
tune. In conjunction with the late Hon. 
Henry C. McCormick, Senator Cochran estab- 
lished the private banking house of Cochran 
& McCormick, which is one of the represen- 
tative financial institutions of that section. 
Senator Cochran has led an extremely busy 
.life, and has a solid reputation as a great 
business man. In the Legislature of 1906 he 
introduced a bill for the State to pay pensions 
to the soldiers, sailors, and marines of Penn- 
sylvania who enlisted in the Civil War, and 
which was one of the leading measures of the 
session. It was passed, but was vetoed by 
Governor Stuart for financial reasons. 

Senator Cochran is noted for his philan- 
thropy and his public spiritedness, and enjovs 
the esteem of thousands of admiring friends. 



How Revenge is Obtained in Arkansaw 

While Col. Obediah Jasper, of Jasperville, 
Jasper County, Arkansas, was "wetting his 
whistle'' at the Americus Club House at the 
expense of Ma.o-istrate Sleven, whose guest 
he was during his stay in this city, he took 
occasion to say : "'I am pleased to notice, my 
deah Jedge, that all the paoahs of this blasted 
and condemned town, sah. are disposed to 
dwell topfefher in unity, sah, and their edi- 
tah's skin one another at pokah. with one 



solitary exception. The attitude of that jeal- 
ous and ribald sheet, sah, toward its contem- 
poraries, I am free to admit, gives me a pain 
in th' diaphanous convex of my left lung. 
Now, in Jaspahviile, Jaspah County, Ark-an- 
saw, where I am permitted by an indulgent 
and inscrutable Providence, sah, to contribute 
to the happiness and well-being of the popula- 
tion of that conservative and alapaca settle- 
ment, sah, as the publisher and responsible 
editah of the Tri-Wcckly Corn Cob, should 
the editah of my cussed rival, the Semi- 
Weekly Bloiv Fly dare to insinuate in his 
cussed papah, sah, that I was printing a 
blanket-sheet newspapah on a two dollah and 
seventy-five cent bank balance, and that the 
circulation liah of my establishment was in- 
competent and unreliable, sah, what recourse 
would I have to square myself with my con- 
science and to soothe the lacerated and jagged 
perforations of my honah, sah? \^'ould I 
attire myself in my dress suit, sah. and call- 
ing at his cussed office, ask him to do me the 
honah to take a sour mash cocktail with me? 
Paralyze my right kidney, sah. And if I hap- 
pened to be returning to my virtuous domicile 
at a latah hour than usual, sah, having been 
detained at a town caucus, and was to detect 
the red-headed and slab-sided offspring of the 
editah of the Scmi-Weckly Blozv Fly swing- 
ing on my front gate and swappin' spit with 
my esteemed lily of the valley, otherwise my 
second daughtah, sah, would I smile benignly 
and parentally, sah, and say 'God bless you, 
children ; go it whi'e you're young, for when 
you are old you can't' ? Pulverize the sluice- 
way of my alimentary canal, sah. Would I 
permit him to escort the wife of my bosom 
as his side partnah in the grand march at the 
Hibernian ball, sah, or loan him a quart meas- 
ure of sorghum with which to mend th' con- 
demned rollers of his cussed hand-press, sah? 
Punctuate the sack of my cussed abdomen, sah. 
No, sah, jedge. I would visit th' condemned 
libeler v^'ith a more condign and mediaeval 
punishment than that, sah. I would oppose 
him, sah ; oppose him in long primer and in 
agate, sah, in th' columns of my tri-weekly 
newspapah the next time th' bald-headed and 
rum-soaked liar had th' audacity to run for th' 
office of ovcrseah of th' pooh of Jaspahviile, 
Ark-an-saw, sah, and I would have the es- 
teemed pleasure, sah, of being able to call 
him a double-distilled liah three times per 
week to he calling me a cussed liah two 
times per week. That, my dear jedge, consti- 
tutes the mannah we editahs dow^n in Ark-an- 
saw obtain our revenge, sah." 



Blaine, in the Presidential cabinet, was what 
Cardinal IMendnza was named for Ferdinand 
and Isabella : "the third king in Spain." 



Pciiiisvh'ciniii and Its Public Men. 



67 



Joseph Gilfillan 



Joseph Gilfillan, although a nicnihcr of tlio 
junior bar of Phihulelphia, has already 
achieved high professional and political hon- 
ors. He is distinctively a self-made man 
whose own efl'orts have had much to do with 




his own destiny. He has arisen from obscu- 
rity and poverty, like thousands upon thou- 
sands of other .Americans, and his star is 
steadily in the ascendant. 

He was born on Wharton Street near 
Twentieth, in what is now the Thirty-sixth 
Ward, on Xovemher 20, 187 1. His parents 
were hardworking people who had not the 
means to provide him with private tutors or 
classical seminaries. When he had arrived 
at school age he was enrolled as a pupil of 
the well-known Landreth School at Twenty- 
third and Federal Street, which was in prox- 
iinity to his home. Young Gilfillan was 
known as a bookish boy who vastly preferred 
his studies and books to the games and snorts 
of the street and the vacant lot. His diligent 
application and the care with which he mas- 
tered the tasks of the schools, readily carried 
him through the grammar schools at Twelfth 
and Wharton and Sixteenth and Wharton 
streets. He graduated from the senior class 
in the latter school, and this was supposed to 
be the end of his schooling. The lad then 
sought and obtainerl employment in the neigh- 



borhotnl of his home, and thus worked for 
several years as a self-supporting boy, but 
contributing to the finances of the family. 

"Wjung Gilfillan had an ambition to rise in 
the world, and behind it stood an indomitable 
courage and an iron will. He began to save 
from his meager earnings for a higher edu- 
cation, as he had determined to ac(|uire more 
knowledge and enter the profession of the 
law. In 1893 he became a student at law with 
James W. Kcnworthy, a conspicuous figure 
at the Philadelphia bar, and at the same time 
he entered on a coiuse in the law department 
of the University of Pennsylvania. Here he 
pursued his studies with the same assiduity 
and masterfulness that had characterized him 
in the public schools. 

His natural aptitude for the law and the 
thoroughness of his acquirements soon forced 
themselves upon his preceptors, and he was 
the star of his class. He graduated with 
honors in 1896. but the authorities of the 
university realized that in him they had made 
a "discovery," and he was visited with the 
distinction upon graduation of being ap- 
pointed an instructor in criminal law and real 
estate. 

The young and promising lawyer attracted 
the attention of the Hon. George S. Ciraham, 
who was then a heroic figure at the Phila- 
del|)hia bar. and a business i)artnership was 
formed which has continued since, the firm 
taking high rank and receiving its full share 
of the more important legal business of the 
town passing through the local and appellant 
courts, besides of tlie courts in the State and 
elsewhere. The firm has enjoyed a large 
and lucrative practice in Xew \'(irk. The 
firm now occupies as its offices the entire 
eleventh lloor of the West End Trust Build- 
ing.^ 

Upon his marriage Mr. Gilfillan took up a 
residence in the Twenty-fourth Ward, where 
he has since resided and where political hon- 
ors have come to him along with the steadv 
rise at a bar which is second to none in the 
United .States. 

He was an unsuccessful candidate for 
city councils, but this served to bring him to 
the attention of the political leaders, and in 
1907 he was chosen as the Republican leader 
of the Twenty-fourth Ward, having brought 
about harmony to the party in the ward and 
restored to it its old fighting spirit. 

In 190S he was made the Republican can- 
didate for high sheriff in a three-cornered 
contest, and was elected by a substantial ma- 
jority. It has been many years since so con- 
spicuous a citizen had been elected to this 
office. 

Mr. Gilfillan is a member of the Committee 
of Censors of the Law .Association. 



68 



Pciuisxhania and Its Public Men. 



Hon. John E. 

Philadelphia 



"aunce 



The Hon. John E. Faunce, of Philadelphia, 
came from good Democratic stock, and has had 
two careers, that of a practitioner at the bar 
and as a legislator of distinction and influence. 
He was a party leader. He was identified with 




the old Wallace wjng of the State Democracy 
and participated in the fierce factional conflicts 
that were waged thirty years ago. For years 
he was a Democratic leader in the Legisla- 
ture. His campaigns were enlivened by the 
John E. Faunce Campaign Club, embracing 
over twelve hundred uniformed torchlight 
paraders. 

Mr. Faunce is a native of Dauphin County, 
Pennsylvania, born at Millersburg, October 20, 
1840. His father, Samuel, was a Marylander. 
While a lad his father was elected Sheriff of 
Dauphin against the strong Whig party of 
that period, and was the first Democrat ever 
elected to that office. This necessitated the 
family's removal to Harrisburg. After thor- 
ough preparation young John entered the 
Williamsport College and subsequently Dick- 
inson College, graduating from the latter 
with signal honors. While a student in Dick- 
inson there came Lee's first invasion of Penn- 
sylvania, and he threw aside his books and 
rushed to the defense of his State, serving with 
marked distinction under Col. Jones, as Lieu- 



tenant in the Nineteenth Calvary, and later in 
the First New York. Completing his studies 
upon graduation, he registered as a law stu- 
dent with the Hon. Charles IngersoU, of Phila- 
delphia, and at the same time entering the Law 
Department of the Pennsylvania University. 
He began the practice of his profession asso- 
ciated with the late Judge Greenbank in 1856. 
In 1868 Mr. Faunce was chosen a delegate to 
the National Democratic Convention, and in 
1874 was elected to the Legislature, serving 
continuously until 1888. He was soon recog- 
nized as the minority party leader in the 
House, and at the sessions of 1877-79-81 he 
received the compliment of his party's caucus 
nomination for Speaker. In 1883 the revolt 
against General Beaver for Governor and the 
election of Pattison Governor swept in a Dem- 
ocratic House, and Mr. Faunce, being the 
logical candidate, was practically unanimously 
nominated in caucus and elected. As a Speaker 
he enjoys the fame of having been the ablest 
and the best parliamentarily equipped Speaker 
the House has ever had, and throughout the 
long session of eleven months it is recorded 
that he was not absent at a single session, 
which is remarkable. Mr. Faunce is the au- 
thor of the law for the prevention of cruelty 
to children and the abduction of girls under 
sixteen years of age. 

Mr. Faunce married Miss Sarah P. Hatfield, 
daughter of the late Nathan L. Hatfield, a 
substantia! resident of the northeastern section 
of the city. Mr. Faunce is a director in the 
Clearfield. Conemaugh and Western Railroad, 
trustee of the American Oncologic Hospital, 
and incorporator and director in the Presby- 
terian [Ministers' Fund for Life Insurance. 



Mr. Randall's Withering Sarcasm 
as to Cleveland 

The late Hon. Chauncey F. Black, of York, 
told me of a call he had made upon Hon. 
Samuel J. Randall, at his home in Washina:- 
ton, soon after the national campaign of 1888. 
Mr. Black said he went to the Speaker's house 
prepared to find him a physical wreck, know- 
ing that he had been unable to appear upon 
the stump or to turn a hand for the re-elec- 
tion of President Cleveland. Instead of find- 
ing Mr. Randall covered with poultices and 
smelling like a camphor bottle, he found him 
as chirp as a lark in a fresh-water meadow. 

"Why, Mr, Randall, I am pleased to see 
you doing so well." 

"I am not so unwell, Mr. Black, but I am 
able to walk back to the platform of 1884." 

Mr. Black said that this bright reply, he 
considered so unkind imder the circumstances, 
broke him all up. 



PciiiisYlraitia aiul Its Public Men. 



69 



Hon. Maxwell Stevenson 

Maxwell Stevenson was born in County 
Tyrone, Ireland. February i. if^47. and was 
brought to America by his parents when he 
was tour years old. 

The family settled in Philadelphia, where 
young Stevenson graduated from the Central 



dclphia bar and has been throughout his ca- 
reer a champion of organized labrir. 




High School. lie read law in the office of E. 
Coppee Mitchell, and afterwards with Judge 
Joseph T. Pratt, and was admitted to the bar 
in 1S-4. Mr. Stevenson has been counsel in 
.'onie very large real estate cases. He also en- 
joys the distinction of having tried eighty-five 
homicide cases, but one defendant out of that 
number being hanged. 

In 1880 he was the candidate for the I,alior 
party in the 1st District of Philadelphia for 
Congress against Mr. Bingham. 

Mr. Stevenson was candidate for Congress- 
man-at-Large on the Democratic ticket in 
1886. when Chauncey F. Black headed the 
ticket for Governor, and was defeated by a 
small majority. In 1901 Mr. Stevenson was 
the Democratic nominee for Receiver of 
Taxes of Philadelphia, and in March of the 
same year, when Court of Common Pleas Xo. 
5 was established, was one of the three judges 
appointed to that court by Governor Stone. 
He served until the following January, and 
then returned to his private practice. Judge 
Stevenson is a notable figure at the Phila- 



A Little Inside History of the City Hall 

The Philadelphia City Hall is one of the 
costliest public buildings ever erected. It was 
built under the direction of a conuiiission, 
and notwithstanding that it is the largest mu- 
nicipal building in the world and cost over 
twenty-one millions, it has already been found 
to be too small for its purpose. Two things 
may be said in its favor: It was built to 
defy the ravages of time, and it was paid for 
by a special tax as the work progressed. It 
is. therefore, a gift to posterity. The com- 
mission was never popular because of the 
scandals in connection with it and its extrava- 
gance. .After years of agitation and several 
efforts in the legislature to abolish the com- 
mission, Senator Penrose finally, in 1895, suc- 
ceeded in accom[)lishing it "for the good of 
the Republican party." 

The selection of the site was born in fraud. 
The city was divided as to the choice of the 
site, there being two such candidates, viz. : 
Washington Square and that now occupied bv 
the hall. 

The property owners in the vicinity of 
Broad and Market Streets raised a secret 
campaign fund of $30,000, which it turned 
over to the politicians of the Republican and 
Democratic parties, and it was this money 
which influenced the selection. Election 
hoards were purchased and repeaters openly 
plied their art in favor of Broad and Market 
Streets. In some wards the ballots of the 
Washington Square site were stolen and de- 
stroyed, and were not available for the voters. 
The special election held for the purpose w-as 
really a farce, but notwithstanding these 
crooked actions at the polls, the wisdom of 
the selection has never been questioned. It 
has brought millions into the pockets of 
property owners in its neighborhood through 
enhanced valuations. .A conspicuous Repub- 
lican politician who shared the good things of 
the ground floor in those days, told me that 
a single contract for the marble yielded $100,- 
000 in graft annually for the years that it ran. 
This po'ilician was Peter E. Lane, now- dead. 
He said that this money was first split into ten 
equal parts and that ten men. both in and out 
of the commission, were the recipients. .As 
they lost political power they were frozen out 
or they died, and their shares were taken by the 
survivors. This graft finally was enjoyed by 
but a few men. But this contract was only a 
portion of the graft that other contracts 
vielded to the Public Building Commission 



70 



Pciinsxlvaiiia and lis I'liblic Men. 



Samuel G. Dixon, M.D. 

Stale Commissioner o( Health 

Samuel G. Dixon was born in Philadelphia, 
March 2^, 1851 : received his preparatory edu- 
cation at the Mantua Academy. Philadelphia, 
then went abroad to study ; returned to Phila- 
delphia, graduated from the Mercantile Col- 




lege, then studied law. and was admitted to 
the bar in 1877; he subsequently studied medi- 
cine, and graduated from the Medical School 
of the University of Pennsylvania in 1886, 
having been singularly honored by the trustees 
before graduation by an appointment to the 
position of Assistant Demonstrator of Physi- 
ology. He went abroad again to study, and 
graduated from the Department of Bacteriol- 
ogy of King's College. London. In 1888 he 
was made Professor of Hygiene in the Medical 
School and Dean of the Auxiliary Department 
of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, 
in 1890 he became Professor of Bacteriology 
and Microscopical Technolosry at the Academy 
of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Execu- 
tive Curator in 1892. and President in i8g6. 
which last two positions he still holds. He 
served for many years as a member of the 
Board of Education of Phi'adelphia, and did 
much as Chairman of the Committee on Hy- 
giene to improve the sanitary condition of the 
schools. He is Vice-President of the Ludwick 
Institute of Philadelphia, member of the Board 
of Managers of the Grandom Institution, The 
American Philosophical Society, Historical So- 



ciety of Pennsylvania, director of Wistar 
Institute of Anatomy of the University of 
Pennsylvania, a fellow of the College of Phy- 
sicians, and a member of other institutes and 
academies. His publications cover a large 
field in hygiene and bacteriology, but he is best 
known for his original and advanced position 
on the prevention and treatment of tubercu- 
losis. On October 19. 1899, Dr. Dixon made 
known to the world his great discovery pro- 
ducing immunity to tuberculosis of the lower 
animals, and his fluid extract is used more or 
less extensively in the treatment of tuber- 
culosis. He was appointed Commissioner of 
Health by Governor Pennypacker on June 6, 
1905, and was subsequently reappointed bv 
Governor Stuart. His administration of this 
important branch of the State government has 
set the pace for other States, and it is regarded 
as the model. Like an actor creating the role 
in a play, Dr. Dixon was the first appointee of 
this department, being chosen from a host of 
candidates while the office came to him un- 
solicited, and he has developed its powers, and 
kept the State comparatively free from epi- 
demics. He is invested with great power over 
the food and water supply of the State, and in 
this particular he has distinguished himself. 



An Eloquent Defense of tlie " Rickey " 

Sam Boyd, in the Wilkes-Barre N'czos 
Dealer: "AH ye who are interested in lofty 
thought listen to this glowing description of 
the famous drink, the "Rickey,' from the 
brain of Sam Hudson. ' "The Rickey," ' he 
says, 'seduced us years ago (it must have 
been in the last century) when our dome of 
thought was not the hairless desert ■ that it 
is to-day, or the diamond field for the liba- 
tions fly. In all the world there is no drink 
for the balmy sunnner time when tlie bluejay 
is warbling its joyous notes in the cherry ri]je 
tree and the katydid is chirping in the dell, 
like the "Rickey." ' A bar-room drink, do 
V"U say, Sam? Perish the thought. A drink 
for the gods. You double-distilled scoffer, 
ye lost soul, ye miserable sinner who stoops 
to lie about his age. Of. all the drinks that 
we love best the 'Rickey' stands on the high- 
est pedestal, far, far above champagne, nec- 
tar for the gods. If the rum drinkers of this 
country would heed our advice, and wdicn 
they drink the distillation of the wheat ker- 
nel, the corn kernel, and the rye kernel, they 
would amalgamate it into the 'Rickey.' there 
woidd be no need for gold cure establishments 
or for bromide drinks, or a terrible next 
morning, for with the 'Rickey.' Sam, there is 
no headache next morning." 



Feinisxh-ania and Its I'lihlic Men. 



71 



Hon. Reuben O. Moon 

Philadelphia 

Hon. Reuben O. Moon is regarded as one 
of the most profound lawyers and scholars 
Pennsylvania has sent to the Congress of the 
United States in recent years. His great abili- 
ties and knowledge have been recognized bv 




the leaders of that body who singled him out 
of the scores of lawyer members for legal 
work of distinction and permanence. .Mr. 
Moon is a native of Xew Jersey, and the legal 
talents he inherited descended to him from 
John Moon, one of the earliest judges of 
Pennsylvania. His father was .\aron L. 
Moon, who arose to prominence as a teacher, 
and it was under his careful training that he 
received his preliminary schooling. He com- 
pleted his education in 1874. after which he 
taught school in the State of his birth. He 
finally established himself in Philadelphia, ac- 
cepting a professorship in a prominent institu- 
tion of learning. Mr. Moon is an elocutionist 
of great power and charm, and his well-stored 
mind led him to the lecture platform. He was 
admitted to the bar in 18S4, and associated 
himself with the late ( ieorge W. .Arundel, one 
of its conspicuous leaders. .Admitted to prac- 
tice in the Supreme Court in 1.S86. and to the 
United States Courts in 1890. He enjoys a 
general practice. He was elected to the Fifty- 
eighth Congress in 1903, and was re-elected to 
the Fiftv-ninth, Si.xtieth and Si.xtv-first Con- 



gresses as a Reput)lican by largely increasing 
majorities. He is Chairman of the Committee 
on the Revision of the Laws, and for some 
years has been one of the leading members of 
a Congressional connnission for the codifica- 
tion of the Federal statutes, a work of vast 
magnitude and innnense importance, and which 
will give him not only a national, but an inter- 
national reputation, lie has been president of 
the Columbia Club, is a member of the Union 
League, Penn Club. Lawyers' Club, and the 
Historical Society of Pennsylvania, He is also 
a member of the Judiciary Committee of the 
House of Representatives. 



Two Big Pots at Harrisburg 

.A big pot of spot cash went to Harrisburg 
at the session of 1X85 to back a bill that was 
hostile to the new I'ostal Telegraph Company 
which was then threatening the supremacy of 
the Western L'nion. The money was taken to 
the State cajntol by J. Sewell 15rown, the son 
of the eminent Philadelphia lawyer, David 
Paul Brown, and it amounted to $200,000. 
Chris. Magee was selected as the financial 
lobbyist, but notwithstanding his skill and the 
"goods" he carried, the bill was defeated by 
a narrow margin. 

.\nd that recalls another big pot that was 
sent by the liquor trade to defeat the Brooks 
High License P.ill in 1889. 

Harry Crowell, a Philadelphia politician, 
who represented the Twentieth Ward in Com- 
mon Council, and who subsequently committed 
suicide through poverty, was sent to Harris- 
burg with a fund of $100,000 to kill the high 
license measure which had the endorsement 
of Quay and Cameron. 

Crowell carried the money in a big satchel 
and first called at Russ's Grand Hotel, where 
he met a party of Philadelphia legislators. 
He was careless with his satchel, too, and 
threw it under a billiard table, where it laid 
for some time. No one had an inkling of 
Crowell's mission, and the satchel reposed in 
safety. He was utterly without experience 
and tact as a "parliamentary solicitor," and 
was "on the S(|uare." He desired to be honest 
with those he represented, and when he began 
to do business with the statesmen he insisted 
that they should give him a written receipt 
for the money he paid over, "I want some- 
thing to show for it," was the reason he 
assigned. Nobody, however, would do busi- 
ness with him on that condition. He then 
took the money to Bill Leeds and persuaded 
him to put it out. But it was then too late, 
and he frankly told Crowell that he couldn't 
make use of it. Crowell then returned to 
Philadelphia, taking the money with him. 



11 



Fcnns\\van\a and Its Public Men. 



Hon. Arthur G. Dewalt 

Lehigh 

Arthur G. Dewalt, the distinguished 
Senator of the Sixteenth District (Lehigh 
County), was born October n, 1854, at Bath, 
Northampton Countv, Pennsylvania. He was 
graduated from the Keystone State Normal 




School at Kutztown, in 1870. After teach- 
ing school in Lehigh County Mr. Dewalt 
entered the sophomore class in Lafayette 
College, in 1871. He taught one term in 
Olney Academy, a preparatory school for 
college, as instructor in classics. He sub- 
sequently found employment in the Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad office in Philadelphia, and was 
in the employ of the company one year. In 
April, 1876, he entered the law office of John 
D. Stiles as student, and was admitted to the 
practice of law October 22, 1877, in Allen- 
town. In 1880, having been at the bar but 
three years, he was elected District Attorney 
of Lehigh County, which was a rare distinc- 
tion. He was admitted to practice in the Su- 
preme Court of Pennsylvania in 1883. In 
1888 he was admitted to all the courts of 
Philadelphia on motion of F. Carroll Brew- 
ster. For more than a quarter of a century 
Mr. Dewalt has practiced law, and is recog- 
nized as one of its leaders. He has been 
prominently identified with Democratic poli- 
tics for many years, is a stump speaker of 



reputation, and has been a frequent delegate 
to State conventions of his party and chair- 
man of the Committees on Resolutions of 
several of them. He has also been connected 
with the Pennsylvania National Guard, hav- 
ing served nine years as Adjutant of the 
Fourth Regiment. Mr. Dewalt was elected 
a member of the Senate in 1902 after a fierce 
struggle caused by the Republicans of the 
Congressional District, composed of Berks 
and Lehigh counties, in running a Democrat 
for Congress with a view of imperiling the 
success of the Democratic Legislative ticket 
in Lehigh. At the session of 190.S Mr. Dewalt 
was on the committees on Judiciary General, 
Banks and Buildings Association, Corpora- 
tions, Mines and Mining, Judicial Apportion- 
ment, Centennial Affairs, Law and Order, 
and New Counties and County Seats. Sena- 
tor Dewalt found much in the duties of the 
judiciary General Committee to interest him, 
and made good use of his experience as a 
practitioner by making suggestions in per- 
fecting legislation before the committee. In 
1903 he was the Democratic candidate for 
Auditor-General. At the session of 1905 ^Ir. 
Dewalt was again appointed on the Commit- 
tee on Judiciary General, and among others 
on \vhich he served were the Committees on 
Judiciary Special, Appropriations and Corpo- 
rations. He was a member of the Pennsyl- 
vania Legislative Fish Commission to bring 
about uniform fish laws with bordering States. 
He served as a member of the Commission 
appointed by the Legislature of 1907 to in- 
vestig-ate the frauds in connection with the 
erection and furnishing of the State capital. 
In lanuary, 1909, Senator Dewa't was elected 
Chairman of the Democratic State Commit- 
tee. 



The War Records of Quay and McClure 

I wrote a defense of the Hon. M. S. Quay's 
war record in the Philadelphia Item some 
years ago, comparing it with the records cer- 
tain ferocious warriors have made with their 
mouths in Grand Army Post rooms. The 
mail next day brought a hot and lathery com- 
munication from a "Vet.," which I was com- 
pelled to consign to the waste basket, but I 
have preserved its conclusion, wherein "Vet- 
eran" declared that "Colonel McClure had a 
far better war record than Colonel Quay, be- 
cause the latter left McClellan's army two days 
before the battle of Antietam was fought, 
wdiile McClure was a spectator of that bloody 
engagement, safely perche<l in the upper 
branches of a horse chestnut tree, and view- 
ing the slaughter through a pair of opera 
glasses." 



Pciiiisyli'cviia ami Its Public Mc}i. 



73 



Lewis B. Kniffen 

Mayor of Wilkes-Bane 

Lewis B. Kniffen. it may be dcclarerl, is the 
most popular citizen of the city of Wilkcs- 
Barre if his election as its Mayor can be ac- 
cepted as a criterion, since he was both the 
Republican and the Democratic candidate, and 




received all but a few scattering votes, lie 
was elected Mayor in 1908, and had been ac- 
tive in politics but a year prior to that event. 
The Knififens have been in America from the 
time of the landing of the Pilgrims, and an 
ancestor of the flavor was numbered with 
the goodly company that made the eventful 
voyage in the "^layfiower." His grandfather 
was one of the early settlers of Long Island. 
Mayor Kniffen was born December 20. 1858, 
and spent his youth upon the farm of his 
father, attending the common schools during 
his limited school period. He had hard lines 
when a boy. and was trained in a school of 
self-denial and iron discipline. But he had 
an ambition beyond the farm, and this led him 
into the undertaking business, which he estab- 
lished years ago in W'ilkes-Barre. and to-day 
he is the leading undertaker of the Wyoming 
X'alley. Mayor Kniflen is a great admirer 
of .\braham Lincoln, and seeks to pattern his 
life, so far as possible, upon the lofty prin- 
ciples of that famous man. He is a great 
lover of good horseflesh and is the owner of 
several fine ones with reputations. He is an 
enemy of intoxicating lirpiors. and has par- 



ticipated actively in the campaign of the anti- 
saloon league lor local option. 

Mayor KnilYen has given Wilkes-Barre a 
clean, vigorous, and progressive administra- 
tion, and has redeemed every ante-election 
promise that he made to the people. He has 
ctYectually rid the city of the opium and co- 
caine evils, and brought vice under distinct 
restraint. 



How Horace F. Fogel Lost the Naval Office 

There was an incident connected with the 
appointment of the late J. Marshall W'right, 
of Lehigh, to the Xaval Office of Philadel- 
[)hia, that is not generally known to the poli- 
ticians of Pennsylvania. Wright was backed 
for the place at the beginning of Cleveland's 
second term by William L. Scott and William 
F. Llarrity. He was bitterly oppo.sed, and 
the President himself was greatly disgusted 
at the rancor that had entered into the fight. 
There was much surprise expressed when he 
finally sent Wright's nomination to the Sen- 
ate. Ex-Governor Chauncy F. Black went to 
the White House and did some healthy kick- 
ing, because the President had practically 
promised the appointment to Black's wing of 
the party. 

The President finally lost bis patience with 
Mr. Black, and remarked, with some asperity. 
"Why, you signed Wright's papers." 

'T did not," was the reply. 

"Mutcbler also signed them, and so did the 
clerk of the House. James Kerr." 

"They certainly did not." 

"They did. and I can prove it to yoM." 

"H my name is attached to Wright's pa- 
pers." declared Governor Black, "then it is 
there through forgery." 

President Cleveland fished out of his desk 
the recommendations which had influenced 
him to send Wright's name to be naval officer. 

"There's your name and there's Mutchler's 
and there's Kerr's." declared the President, 
triumphantly. 

The Governor was dumfounded, for sure 
enough there was his name and those of 
Mutchler's and Kerr's. He picked up the 
papers to examine them more closely, when 
he made the discovery that instead of being 
Wright's papers, they were the recommenda- 
tions of Horace F. Fogel. of Philadelphia, 
who had crowded Wright for the place. .\nd 
then the President was dumfoiuided. but it 
was too late for Fogel. as the Senate had 
acted. 



Sol Miller's definition of a granger: ".\ 
man who works the farmer instead of the 
farm." 



74 



rciinsvkania and Its Public Men. 



Mayor Ezra S. Meals 

Harrisburg 

Dr. Ezra S. Meals, Mayor of the city of 
Harrisburg, is a distinguished medical prac- 
titioner, who, for a number of years, has 
divided his time between an extensive prac- 
tice and a public life. 




His grandfather. Dr. Ezra J., was the lead- 
ing physician of Harrisburg for thirty years. 
His father. Samuel, was a gallant soldier of 
the War of the Rebellion, serving in the 138th 
P. V. 

He comes of Welsh and Scotch ancestry, 
and was born at Bendersville, Adams County. 
July 28, 1851. He enjoyed good educational 
advantages, attending the State Normal 
School at Gettysburg, and the Tyson Acad- 
emy at Floradale, Pennsylvania. He acquired 
a knowledge of medicine and surgery largely 
through practicing tutors. He began with 
Dr. E. W. Mumma of Bendersville, with 
whom he remained a year; subsequently he 
studied another year with Dr. Isaiah J- Meals, 
at Mill Creek, Huntington County. He then 
took a course at medicine and pharmacy in 
the University of Michigan, and then had a 
year's practice under the instruction of Dr. 
R. B. Elderdice, of McKnightsville, Adams 
County. In 1874 he received from the Co'- 
lege of Physicians and Surgeons, of Cincin- 
nati, the degree of Doctor of Medicine. 



He then entered upon the active practice of 
his profession, splendidly equipped for the 
work. He purchased the practice of his pre- 
ceptor, Dr. Elderdice at McKnightstown. He 
continued there nearly two years when he 
removed to Biglersville, Adams County, his 
reputation increasing as a county doctor. 

Dr. Meals at this time decided upon a wider 
field, and in 1877 he settled in Harrisburg, 
where he has continued to reside and is the 
acknowledged leader of his profession. Per- 
sonally he is one of the most popular men 
and his fellow citizens, realizing this, have 
drafted him for positions in public life. 

From 1892 to 1899 he served on the Har- 
risburg Board of School Directors, taking an 
active interest in the management of the 
schools. He is a member of the Dauphin 
County Medical Institute, and one of the 
leading Elks of Harrisburg. In 1907 he was 
president of the Harrisburg Club, the most 
exclusive in the city. 

In 1898 Dr. Meals was elected as a Re- 
publican member of the Legislature, and re- 
elected in 1900. Dr. Meals has put his per- 
sonal popularity to the test with the para- 
mount political powers of Dauphin County, 
and in 1906 he won a nomination and elec- 
tion to the Legislature upon his own merits 
and in defiance of the machine. In 1908 he 
was brought forward as a candidate for 
mayor and again routed the bosses, and dem- 
onstrated his wonderful popularity with the 
people. He was elected by a handsome ma- 
jority, and has given the city an administra- 
tion creditable alike to the municipality and 
to himself. 

Dr. Meals married INIary L., daughter of 
Henry B. and Margaret Kosser, and they are 
the parents of two children, Ira and Henry S. 



Dedicated to a Mugwump 

I am a Mugwump, a Committee of Fifty 
Mugwump, a ticket-splitting, vest-pocket vot- 
ing, open-letter writing, holier than thou, O 
Lord pity those miserable sinners, politician 
hating, sanctified and clarified and old Quay's 
a bad man. Mugwump. 

Oh, how I hate those deep-dyed, glory hal- 
lelujah, John Brown's body lies, who pulls the 
flag down, shoot him on the spot, hit him on 
the head with a ginger pop, bloody shirt, crim- 
son stained with gore, spirit on the other 
shore, and freedmen's pains, and negro chains, 
and moans and groans and dead men's bones, 
and our martyred Lincoln and Garfield Re- 
publicans. 

Oh, how I do hate to see Bill Leeds on 
election night, when the fight's all right, 
marching at the head of the Union Republican 



Fcuiisxl7-aiiia and Its PuhUc Men. 



75 



Club, rub-by-dub-dub. witb bis cussed band 
playing "Marcbing Tbrough Georgia." Ob. 
bow I bate to bear tbe cbeers and tbe jeers of 
tbis scum drunk on beers, ligbtning calcula- 
tors, impersonators, repeaters, false voucbcrs. 
ballot-box smasbers and ballot-box stutters. 
sluggers, heelers, ballot tbieves, rascals who 
pad tbe assessor's lists, and all tbe rest of tbe 
old flag and an appropriation reptiles. Ob. 
how my mugwumpian soul does quake and 
shake when that <lamned gun on tbe roof of 
Leed's politician's roost belches forth another 
Republican county heard from. 

Oh, gee-whizz (watah, make me a gin fizz) 
how my heart yearns for a Democrat, a dirty 
Democrat, a Squire McMullen Democrat, a 
rebel Democrat, a three cheers for Jeff Davis 
Democrat: be fired on Fort Sumter Demo- 
crat, a nigger bating Democrat, a tariff re- 
form and tariff for revenue only Democrat. 
a free coinage Democrat, a three-card monte 
Democrat, a blear-eyed, pimple-faced, whisky- 
soaked, foul-mouthed, corner-loafing Demo- 
crat: oh, bow much I prefer voting for an 
animal of this stripe than for a nice, clean, 
pious, unbiased, friend of the tailor, stranger 
to tbe jailer, but a Quay following, flag hal- 
lowing, truth-swallowing Republican. 

Oh. the gladsome time will soon come, when 
us luni turn, or rather us Mugwumps, will 
rule public affairs with a hand of mail. And 
then let old Quay and Ben Harrison and his 
hat. and Force Bill Hoar, and Fire-Alarni 
Foraker. and Tom Cooper and the remainder, 
the rag-tag and the bob-tail of the disreputa- 
ble combination (|uail. Then no more primary 
elections, and riots, and murders. Xo more 
frauds. No more Mauds in the mint. Xo 
more packed conventions and back kitchen 
caucuses. Xo more bosses, combines, parades, 
bands, coal-oil colonels, flag raisings, fire- 
works, sh-wizz-boom. Ah ! and eagle scream- 
ing speeches, town meetings for nominations. 
Saints, and we are the saints, for candidates. 
Baker Ballot Reform Bill system, for elec- 
tions. Civil Service. .\ public office is a pub- 
lic trust. Oh. what an elysium ! Oh. what a 
political para<lise ! Oh. let her come and come 
quick! Oh. Helen-Damnation. 



Gen. Frank Blair's speech from the balcony 
of a X'ew York hotel to a band of Fenians 
about to embark to free Ireland. His tongue 
was thick from his own Bourbon. "My be- 
loved Finnigans, I am with you." (Ap- 
plause.) "When you leave the Battery I'll 
be with you." (Greater applause.) "\\'hen 
you pass out through tbe Xarrows. bidding 
good-bye to Sandy Hook, I'll be with you: but 
when you arrive at Bantry Bay may God be 
with you." (Feeble applause.) 



Hon. Samuel P. Rotan 

Philadelphia 

SanuK-l I'. Rotan had been little in the pub- 
lic eye until be was elected to the oflice of 
District .\ttorney of Philadelphia, in Xovem- 
ber. 1906. Pri'ir to that time he engaged in 
private practice. Mr. Rotan was born January 




9. 1869. in Philadelphia, and was graduated 
from the Central High School and tbe Uni- 
versity of Pennsylvania. He was admitted to 
the bar in June. I<S92, and immediately em- 
barked in the active practice of his profes- 
sion, and received his nomination at the hands 
of tbe Republican Party for District Attor- 
ney against D. Clarence Gibboney. the Inde- 
pendent and Fusion nominee in 1906. His 
cnduct of tbe office to which be was elected 
by a large majority, has proven the wisdom 
of the selection, and has only further justi- 
fied the high esteem in which he is held by the 
people. Mr. Rotan was induced to accept the 
nomination for tbis bieb office at a time when 
the fortunes of the Republican organization 
were at a low ebb. the City Party, in fusion 
with tbe Democrats, having swept the city at 
the previous election. In the campaign he 
nia<le so favorable an impression that he 
proved to be stronger than bis party. Mr. 
Rotan's administrati'-n has been free from 
political bondage, and malefactors have been 
prosecuted without fear or favor. 



76 



Pennsylvania and Its Pnblic Men. 



Thomas Lynch Montgomery 

State Librarian 

Thomas Lynch Montgomery was born on 
March 4, 1862, at Germantown, Philadelphia, 
He graduated from the Episcopal Academy 
in 1879, and from the University of Pennsyl- 
vania, Department of Arts, in 18S4. He has 



thority. He was chosen for the position 
which he fills so well entirely outside the do- 
main of politics, and was the personal ap- 
pointee of Governor Pennypacker, who, book- 
man himself, chose him upon his merits only. 




been identified with library interests for many 
years, having been trustee of Apprentice's 
Library, of Philadelphia, and also of the Free 
Library of Philadelphia, and is chairman of 
the library committee of the latter. He estab- 
lished the first branch library of the system 
at the Wagner Free Institute of Science in 
1892. He is a member of the American 
Library Association, the Academy of Natural 
Sciences of Philadelphia, the Historical So- 
ciety of Pennsylvania, and the Philobiblion 
Club. He organized the Pennsylvania Li- 
brary Club in 1880, and was one of the 
founders of the Keystone Library Association. 
He held the positions of actuary and libra- 
rian of the Wagner Free Institute of Science 
for seventeen years. He was appointed State 
Librarian, by Governor Pennypacker. Feb- 
ruary 3, 1903, and was reappointed by Gov- 
ernor Stuart. 

Mr. Montgomery enjoys the distinction of 
having brought that splendid institution, the 
State Library, to its highest perfection, and 
among book lovers he is regarded as an au- 



S. p. Frankenfield Sons 

None of us seek death, but it is inevitable, 
and when our loved ones pass away our first 
thought is to secure an undertaker whom we 
can conscientiously rely upon to look after 
their remains. In referring to the well-known 
undertakers special reference must be had to 
the old established firm of S. P. Frankenfield 
Sons, whose parlors are located at the south- 
west corner of Fifty-third and Vine Streets, 
branch offices being maintained at 3857 Lan- 
caster Avenue, Lancaster Avenue and Lans- 
downe Avenue, 728 South Fifty-first Street, 
Clifton Heights, Delaware County, and Ard- 
niore, Pa. 

This business was first established in 1842 
by Mr. Evan Lewis at Fifty-seventh Street 
and Haverford .Avenue. Ten years latter Mr. 
S. P. Frankenfield purchased the business 
from Mr. Lewis, and removal was immediately 
made to the Fifty-third and Vine Streets 
establishment, and it is a record hardly with- 
out parallel that a business of this description 
should be confined to one particular location 
for a period of fifty-six years. The active 
members of the firm now consist of seven 
sons of the old proprietor, whose names re- 
spectively are Robert F.. Samuel I., John P., 
David G., George B.. Francis B., and Michael 
G. Frankenfield. They assumed control of 
the business in 1894. Mrs. S. P. Frankenfield, 
however, is still identified, in a measure, with 
the business, but takes no active part. The 
firm has buried many people of prominence, 
among whom may be named Jessie George, 
George Erickson, Mrs. John H. Converse, 
Mrs. .Albert Johnson, the wife of the general 
manager of "the Baldwin Locomotive Works, 
and numerous others of like renown. Mr. 
David G. Frankenfield was, in 1905, elected to 
Common Council for the Forty-fourth Ward, 
and has held a seat therein ever since. He is 
prominently identified with the Masonic order. 
Oriental Chapter, Blue Lodge. St. John's Com- 
mandery, and of the Board of Directors of the 
McKinlev Club. 



Emerson : "There is no den in the wide 
world to hide a rogue. Commit a crime and 
it would seem as if a coat of snow fell on the 
ground, such as reveals in the woods the track 
of every partridge and fox and squirrel and 
mole." 



Pcinisxk'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



17 



William McNiece and Son 

The photograph below is that of the late 
William McXicce who was one of the pio- 
neer sawmakcrs of this city, and which his 
son, Mr. Edward B. McXiece, retaining the 
old name of the Excelsior Saw Works of 
Philadelphia, located at 515 Cherry Street, 




still conducts. The elder McXiece came 
to the United States from Ireland when a 
boy, and served as an apprentice for Jesse 
Bakewcll, one of the first sawmakers in this 
country. He subsequently embarked in busi- 
ness for himself, and his progressive meth- 
ods and attention to detail soon established a 
name among users of saws and an enviable 
reputation for honest business dealings. Mis 
product was high in grade and superior in 
quality, the excellency of the tempering in 
the saws being especially notable. This strict 
adherence to the prestige set by the father 
is still followed by the son. 

In addition to the manufacture of saws, Mr. 
McXiece has an enviable reputation for mak- 
ing various articles, in the construction of 
which saw steel figures, and he is considered 
by the trade to be an expert in this line of 
industrv. 



Quay's Joke on Governor Hoyt 

On the night before the inauguration of 
Henry M. Hoyt as governor, there was a gav 
company of Republican State politicians and 



legislative statesmen gathered in the room of 
State Senator George Handy Smith in the 
Lochiel Motel, Harrisburg. he being chairman 
of the Committee on Inauguration. When I 
entered the room the wine bottles were pop- 
ping merrily and repartee and banter inspired 
liearty laughter. 

The coming governor was stretched out on 
bed and M. S. Quay was lying beside him. 
Presently the Union Republican Club's band. 
of I'hiladelphia, halted before the hotel and 
began a serenade. It .struck up the air of 
"Whoa, Emma," which was the!i new and 
popular. The first bars had hardly floated 
into the draughty window, as it was a cold 
night, when Governor Hoyt sat suddenly up 
on the bed. He was the picture of disgust, 
and, looking iiuo Quay's face, he exclaimed: 
"There's that danmcd tune again that has fol- 
lowed me all through this campaign," and 
then Quay began to laugh, and he laughed 
until he got purple in the face. 

The onlookers realized that there was some- 
thing rich doing, and they believed Quay held 
the key to it. He was importuned upon all 
sides to explain, and his explanation showed 
that be possessed a keen sense of humor. He 
told the story, that was substantiated on the 
spot by Tom Cooper, who was Slate Chair- 
man. Quay said he had learned, prior to 
Hoyt's nomination, that he was sweet on a 
c'irl up Wilkes-P)arre way by the name of 
Emma. I le thought it was more than sen- 
timentally proper that the Governor, while 
absent on his campaigning tour, should be re- 
minded of his rosebud. He therefore directed 
Cooper to wire the County Chairman at each 
meeting at which Hoyt was to speak to have 
the band play, without fail, the tune of "Whoa 
Enuna." and he was glad to hear that his 
instructions had been so faithfully carried 
out. This provoked a roar of laughter and 
cost the Governor a c.t^c nf wine. 



The late I'ire-Marsbal Thompson, of Phila- 
delphia, was a very illiterate man, but had a 
strong clutch on the heart strings of Mayor 
Stokley. When he was first appointed in 
place of Eire-Marshal Blackburn, there was 
a fire in a small clothing store one night on 
Market .Street, and when the alarm was turned 
in at Fifth and Chestnut Streets, the central 
station, the reporters went to it. Upon enter- 
ing the smoking place, the smell of kerosene 
proved the store had been fired. One of the 
reporters, turning to Thompson, remarked, 
"Marshal, this is an incendiary fire." 

Thompson turned upon him with a look of 
disgust and replied, "Incendiary hell! Some- 
bodv sot it on fire." 



78 



Pcims\l:'aiiia ami Its Public Men. 




Col. Charles Alexander Rook 



Pittsburg 



The Pittsburg Dispatch is the exponent of 
progress in the great industrial center of the 
Ohio Valley. It was founded in 1846 by a 
brother of the famous song writer, Stephen 
Foster. A few years afterward it passed into 
possession of Alexander VV. Rook, a practical 
newspaper man, and Daniel O'Neill, and at 
once attained a position of much influence. 

The Dispatch is now conducted by Col. 
Charles Alexander Rook, who is president of 
the Dispatch Pub'ishing Company, and editor- 
in-chief and manager of the great paper. 
Colonel Rook came into the Dispatch office 
when a very young man, just after his father's 
death in 1880. He became secretary of the 
company in 1888 and treasurer in 1896. In 
March, 1002, he purchased control of the 
property, becoming president and editor-in- 



chief, and has since added to the standing 
and influence of the paper, and the Pittsburg 
Dispatch is now known and quoted wherever 
newspapers are read. 

Colonel Rook is a native Pittsburger, being 
born in that city in 1861. He is yet a young 
man, one of the youngest in charge of a great 
newspaper property like the Dispatch. He 
has worked hard in his profession, and is 
well and widely known i:i newspaper circles 
and among publicists. 

Tliough Colonel Rook naturally devotes 
most of his attention to his newspaper and is 
in close touch with every department of his 
liusiness every day, he has found time to 
take personal part in public afifairs. In 1905 
he was endorsed by every labor union in 
Pittsburg and urged to become a candidate 



Pciiiisylzvitia ami Its Public Men. 



for Mayor of his city. He was compelled to 
decline the honor on account of the pres- 
sure of his private business. Again, in 1907. 
he was urged to become a candidate for an 
important State office, but declined for the 
same reason as before. That year, however, 
he accepted an appointment on the military 
staff of Governor Edwin S. Stuart, with the 
rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, and has since 
taken an active interest in the National Guard. 

In January, 1908, Colonel Rook was elected 
by the Judges of the Courts of Allegheny 
County to be a member of the Hoard of In- 
spectors for the Western Penitentiary of 
Pennsylvania, and has proved a very useful 
member. He was also elected by the Penn- 
sylvania Republican State Convention one of 
the four delegates-at-large to the Republican 
National Convention at Chicago, where, in 
turn, he was chosen to represent his State on 
the conmiittee instructed to notify William H. 
Taft, officially, of his nomination for Presi- 
dent. 

Colonel Rook was also chosen to be one 
of the three Pennsylvania delegates to the 
great conference on conservation of the Na- 
tion's natural resources, called by President 
Roosevelt, and attended by all but four of 
the Governors of the States in the Union. 

Recently Colonel Rook was endorsed by 
many organizations for the United States 
Senate to succeed Senator P. C. Knox, of 
Pittsburg, chosen to head President Taft's 
cabinet as Secretary of State. Colonel Rook 
was urged to become a candidate for the va- 
cancy, the initiative being taken by the Typo- 
•.;raphical Union, followed by the Iron City 
Irades Council, embracing thirty-three unions 
and more than two hundred local assemblies, 
and the International Union of Steam Engi- 



William H. Whittle was a distinguished 
lawyer of Philadelphia forty years ago, and 
aspired to the Democratic nomination for 
governor. He was beaten through the ma- 
nijjulations of the Hon. Charles .\. Ruckalew 
and Richardson L. Wright, the latter being 
then one of the political bosses of Philadel- 
jjhia County. 

Mr. Whittle was making a speech at a 
Democratic meeting at the Seven .Stars Hotel, 
in I'rankford. He had a weak, piping voice 
which invested his speech with a suitable 
humor. The great slavery agitation was then 
on, the negro being to the fore. Mr. Whit- 
tie, beginning his speech, said, "My fellow- 
citizens: The issue now before the .Ameri- 
can people is largely one between the instincts 
of the white man and the outstinks of the 
black man." This created a great hit and the 
remark went all over the United States. 



William Brek 

Mayor of Reading 

William T'rek's ])opularity and standing is 
conspicuously proven by the statement that 
he, as a Republican, is the Mayor of the nat- 
ural Democratic city of Reading. His elec- 
tion to that office hinged very largely upon 
his personal popularity and, in fact, was the 




controlling factor. Mayor Brek is of Penn- 
sylvania (ierman lineage, the solid stock that 
has so eminently assisted in the development 
of Pennsylvania and in giving to the common- 
wealth her greatness. He was born at Bethel, 
Berks County, July 28, 1875, and can be said 
to have now hardly reached the prime of life. 
His father was G. M. (deceased), and his 
mother Sarah .Ann (Begerle) Rick. The 
family intending him for the profession of 
the law. was able to bestow upon him excel- 
lent educational advantages. Exhausting the 
local schools he was sent to the Keystone 
State Normal School to outfit him for col- 
lege, and from that institution he went to 
Muhlenberg College, from which he gradu- 
ated with credit. He then took a course in 
the Law School of ^'ale. Equipped as a law- 
yer Mayor Brek was admitted to practice in 
the Courts of Berks County in the fall of 
1896. and opened offices in the city of Read- 
ing. He was immediately successful, and his 
practice had grown so large and important 



80 



Pciiiisxlfania and Its Public Men. 



that in 1908 he took in a partner, forming the 
law firm of Brek & MeoUs. Their practice 
has extended to the Appellant Courts of the 
State and to the Supreme Court of the United 
States. ]Mr. Brek early identified himself 
with the Republican party, and when the 
regular Democratic party lost the office of 
County Controller a few years, he was ap- 
pointed Deputy Controller. He was selected 
by the party leaders as the most available 
man to make the fight for the majority in 
1908, and after an exciting and strenuous 
campaign he was triumphantly elected. The 
administration of Mayor Brek has been satis- 
factory to the community, and has strength- 
ened the lines of the Republican party in that 
city. Mayor Brek is also the Solicitor for the 
Reading School District. He is connected 
with a number of social organizations, and is 
one of the Republican leaders of Berks 
County. 



General Bingham Suggests Edwin S. Stuart 
(or Governor 

I The man who implanted the idea of the 
Hon. Edwin S. Stuart to succeed Governor 
Samuel W. Pennypacker in the mind of Sena- 
tor Penrose, was Gen. H. H. Bingham. The 
negotiations leading up to the final selection 
of the popular ex-Mayor were conducted by 
the General. He obtained from him an iron- 
clad pledge that he would loyally work 
through the power of his office for the re- 
election of Penrose as Senator, and would 
act in harmony with the Republican State 
machine. The Stuart suggestion came to 
Senator Penrose as a happy one, as he was 
much concerned as to a candidate. Many 

I old and experienced politicians have declared 
that Mayor Stuart was one of the very few 
men the Republican party could have elected 
under the prevailing conditions. After his 
induction into office Governor Stuart's loy- 
alty to his pledge was put to its first test in 
the appointment of Secretary of the Common- 
wealth to succeed Frank M. Fuller. Senator 
Penrose was anxious to transfer Robert Mc- 
Afee, of Allegheny City, from the State 
Banl<ing Commission ship to the fatted office 
of Secretary of the Commonwealth. Mc.\fee 
was fought hard, however, by the Pittsburg 
section of the Allegheny County politicians 
and by other powerful interests. Penrose and 
his lieutenants were on the grill for some 
days awaiting with feverish anxiety whether 
the Governor would stand true to his pre- 
nomination pledsre, and he did. The appoint- 
ment of Mr. Mc.\fee lifted a sfreat weight 
from their minds. General Bingham de- 
c'ared he would keep the pledge, and it was 
even so. 



Hon. Charles F. Warwick 

Charles F. Warwick, lawyer and ex-Mayor 
of Philadelphia, was born in this city Feb- 
ruary 14, 1S52, and was educated in the pub- 
lic schools. He graduated from the law school 
of the University of Pennsylvania, and stud- 




ied law in the office of E. Spencer Miller, 
being admitted to the bar in 1873. 

In 1878 he was appointed assistant City 
Solicitor, and was afterward chosen by George 
S. Graham, District Attorney, as an assistant 
in his office. 

In 1884 he was elected City Solicitor, being 
the youngest man ever holding that important 
office, and was repeatedly re-elected until 
1895, when he was chosen Mayor by a plural- 
ity of 60,000 votes, defeating the Hon. Boies 
Penrose for the nomination in a sensational 
convention. 

Mr. Warwick is celebrated as an after-din- 
ner speaker, and is a member of many exclu- 
sive clubs and social organizations in this and 
other cities. 

He is a deep student of French history, and 
his researches along that line have led to the 
authorship of several volumes on Mirabeau, 
Danton, and others, who figured in the French 
Revolution. As a political platform orator. 
Mr. Warwick has few superiors in the United 
States, and he has lent his services to the 
Republican Xational Committee in several 



Pcimsylz'oiiia and Its Public Men. 



81 



presidential campaigns. In 1897 ho was 
stricken with an illness which incapacitated 
him for two years, and while thus a home 
prisoner he utilized the time in authorship 
and adding to the stores of his mind. 



Hon. John C. Bell 

Kofmer Districl Attorney 

The bar of Philadelphia is as famous for 
its learning as it is for the representative 
men who shine out a> its stars, and in this 




particular special reference must be had to 
the subject of this sketch, c.K-District -Attor- 
ney John C. Bell. He comes of Scotch and 
Irish ancestry, having been born at Elders 
Ridge. Pa., in 1862. Mr. Bell received his 
preliminary education in the normal and high 
schools, and subsequently entered the Univer- 
sity of Pennsylvania, where he rapidly won 
distinction, being president of his class. He 
was graduated in 1884, being conferred with 
two honors which is very rarely awarded by 
the faculty to the saiue student, consisting 
of the Meredith Essay Prize for his thesis, 
and was also selected to deliver the law ora- 
tion. Not only was Mr. Bell a close student, 
but going upon the theory that all work and 
no play makes Jack a dull boy. he ideiuificd 
himself with the athletic sports of the uni- 
6 



versity, and played half-back on the "X'arsity 
elevens of 1882, 1883. and 1884. His out- 
door sport now is golf. 

Upon coming to the bar he rajiidly rose in 
the ranks of his profession, and soon attained 
prominence, and he now numbers among his 
large and steadily increasing clientele some 
of the largest corporations in the city and 
State. 

In iqo3 the Board of Judges appointed him 
District .\ttorney. and in 1904 he was elected 
to the office on the Republican ticket by an 
overwhelming majority. He tk-clined re- 
nomination. 

.At a public dinner tendered to him in 1907. 
upon the completion of his term as District 
.Attorney. Chief Justice Mitchell said: "It is 
a high honor to say to-night, as those of us 
who are familiar with the conditions of affairs 
in courts of justice know, that Mr. Bell has 
followed faithfully the traditions of the office 
and has given them additional lustre." 

Mr. Bell is a member of many social and 
political clubs, and has a handsome city resi- 
dence and a summer home at Radnor. Pa., 
and is as much esteemed in the social world 
as he is admired at the bar. and is famous 
as a banquet orator. 



John Francis Murphy 

John I'rancis Murphy is one of a famous 
trio of brothers, sons of the celebrated Francis 
Murphy, the temperance evangelist, who had 
a fame both in this country and abroad. It 
was while the latter was living in the town 
of Louisville, Lawrence County. Xcw York, 
that John made his advent upon this sphere. 
He was educated largely at Colonel Hyatt's 
military Academy at Chester, Pa., and when 
thus prepared for the battle of life he en- 
gaged with John H. Murphy & Co., manufac- 
turers of iron and steel. He came to Phila- 
delphia in igoi, which has since been his 
home. When the Murphy Company was 
merged with the Mercer Company and en- 
gaged in the irianufacture of tin plate under 
the McKinley tariff law as an infant industry, 
he went with the new concern in an impor- 
tant capacity. In 1906 Mr. Murphy was 
named by .\uditor-GeneraI Robert K. Young 
as one of the Mercantile .Appraisers for the 
city and county of Philadelphia, and has as- 
sisted in giving that office a vigorous admin- 
istration. Mr. Murphy is a gentleman of 
charming personality and a social prince. He 
numbers his friends among the hundreds and 
delights to entertain them. He is devoted to 
the memory of his distinguished father, a 
reverence which is admired and appreciated 
bv his friends. 



82 



Pciinsxlz'oina and Its Public Men. 




Thomas B. Harned, Esq. 



Thomas B. Harned's career shows what a 
poor boy through industry, application, and 
grit, coupled with natural ability and ambi- 
tion, can achieve in a country like this. Prac- 
tically self-educationed and self-supporting 
from the age of fifteen, he has reached a 
high eminence in commercial and corporation 
law. his services in large business enterprises 
being much sought by capitalists, corporations. 
and promoters. Mr. Harned has successfully 
practiced at both the bars of the cities of 
Camden and Philadelphia. Mr. Harned is a 
native of the Quaker City, having been born 
there March 15, 1851. During his infancy his 
parents took up their residence in Camden. 
They were unable to bestow upon him the 
education he desired, and his schooling was 
limited to that of the elementary public 
schools. It was required of him that he con- 



tribute toward his own support, and when 
fifteen years old he left school and went to 
work as an errand boy at the Cohansey Glass 
Works. His services were appreciated so 
highly by his employers that he was promoted, 
and finally was made shipping clerk, which 
position he held for several years. A com- 
mercial life was. however, not to his liking, 
but on the other hand the law held out to him 
possibilities which his ambition craved. At 
nineteen he determined to become a lawyer, 
and with that in view he registered as a stu- 
dent with Charles T. Reed, one of the lead- 
ing attorneys of Camden. Resigning his po- 
sition in the glass works, Mr. Harned was 
successful in obtaining employment on a local 
newspaper, and he became a reporter, thus 
finding means to support himself while pur- 
suing the study of the law. In 1874 he was 



Pcinisylrania and Jfs I'liblic Men. 



83 



adniittctl to practice as an attorney at the Xew 
Jersey bar, and in 1S77 he became a counsel- 
lor. In the early part of his career he made 
a specialty of commercial law, besides which 
he was recognized as a general practitioner. 
Subsequently he devoted his attention to cor- 
poration law. and is reco.gnized as a leader in 
that important and lucrative branch of the 
profession. In 1892 Mr. Harned's reputation 
had so increased that he was obliged to seek 
a wider field, and removed to Philadelphia. 
He was admitted to the bar of that city and 
to the Superior and Supreme Courts of the 
State, and the Supreme Court of the United 
States, as well as the Federal Courts. Mr. 
Harned now numbers among his large clien- 
tele some of the largest corporations of that 
city and State, which has brought him in 
direct touch with many important business 
operations and enterprises. ^Ir. Harned is a 
lover of literature and art. and is the owner 
of a splendid library. He was an intimate 
friend and associate of Walt Whitman, the 
famous poet, whom he entertained at his home 
in Camden almost weekly for years before 
his death. He was appointed one of his lit- 
erary executors, and took upon himself the 
responsibility of publishing Mr. Whitman's 
poetical works. Mr. Harned's home is in Ger- 
mantown. and he has offices in the West End 
Trust Building. He is a member of the .An 
Club. Gennantown Cricket Club. Historical 
Society of Pennsylvania. .American .\rchreo- 
logical Association, Germantown Unitarian 
Church. Law .Association of Penns\'lvania. 
Camden County Bar .Association, and a num- 
ber of others. 



Lines Written in Opposition to the Overhead 
Trolley System for Philadelphia 

O the little Trolley ! 

What a pretty thing: 
Of its many virtues 

.A Counci'nian can sing. 
O the nasty Trolley ! 

Trouble by the peck ; 
Councilmen who favored it 

Will get it in the neck. 
O the deadly Trolley ! 

Xuisances at fires: 
Then it will kill people — 

Kill 'em with live wires. 
O the awful Trolley ! 

Spoils the pretty streets. 
Fastened on the people 

By Councilmanic beats. 
O the cussed Trolley ! 

D d by all mankind ; 

The Mayor's little veto 

Will come along, you'll find. 

S.\M HfD.SON". 



Henry Drake 

Civil Service Commiuioner 

Henry Drake is one of the best known men 
of Philailelphia, both as a pfiblic man and in 
the circles of business. He was Assistant 
Postmaster of the Philadelphia Post Office 
from 18S5 to December, 1889. and again from 




1893 to 1895. On the first occasion he .served 
under the lion. William F. Harrity, and was 
his right-hand man, being a master of detail 
and possessing executive ability of a high or- 
der. Under President Qeveland's second term 
W. W'ilkins Carr. when appointed Postmaster, 
tendered his old place to Mr. Drake, and he 
served two years, resigning then to return to 
Bradstreets' Mercantile .Agency. 

Mr. Drake was born at Lansdale. Mont- 
gomery County, Pennsylvania, in 1849. His 
father, .Aram Drake, was a prominent man 
in the section, and served for two terms as 
County Treasurer and held various other pub- 
lic positions. Mr. Drake was specially pre- 
pared to enter college, and in 1867 lie grad- 
uated from Lafayette. He showed a remark- 
able aptitude for higher mathematics, which 
led him in the direction of a business career. 
He was just then turning his majority. 
Going to Philadelphia he obtained a position 
as a reporter with the John McKillop & Co. 
^^ercantile Reporting .Agency, and in whose 
employ he mastered all the details of the 



84 



Peimsvk'auia and Its Public j\[cii. 



business. Mr. Drake's ability attracted the 
attention of Bradstreets, and in July, 1876. 
he was induced to enter the service of this 
well-known house as an accomplished reporter. 
After a time he Avas promoted to be the out- 
side manager for the territory embracing New 
Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, and Delaware. 
He resigned this position to become Assistant 
Postmaster. 

In 1904 Mr. Drake finally severed his rela- 
tions with Bradstreets and took up, on his 
own account, the work of mercantile report- 
ing on lumber, iron, and steel and wholesale 
and retail commission merchants, and in which 
he is still engaged. His branches of business 
are known to the trade as the Wholesale 
Lumber Association, the Iron and Steel 
Trades, and the Grocers' and Reporters' As- 
sociation. He is interested also in other en- 
terprises of a substantial character. Mayor 
Reyburn, on August i, 1907, appointed Mr. 
Drake to be one of the municipal Civil Serv- 
ice Commissioners to fill the unexpired term 
of Dallas Sanders, and on March I, 1909, ap- 
pointed him for the full term of five years. 
This w'as a personal appointment, Mr. Drake 
and Mayor Reyburn having been boon com- 
panions for years. 

Mr. Drake has been active as a Democrat. 
He was a member of the Democratic City 
Executive Committee for three terms, repre- 
senting the Twenty-seventh Ward, and he 
is a stump speaker of much force. He is a 
member of Lamberton Lodge, No. 487, F. & 
A. M., Palestine Chapter and Mary Com- 
mandery. 



The Death of the Hon. Samuel J. Randall 

During the fatal illness of the Hon. Sam- 
uel J. Randall, I was the Washington corre- 
spondent of the Philadelphia Evening Bid'c- 
tin. I was compelled to keep a faithful watch 
upon the progress of the disease, as the people 
of his native city were deeply concerned, as 
well as those of the nation. The "boys of 
newspaper row" began to rely upon me for 
the news from Mr. Randall's modest little 
home on Capitol Hill, and which I furnished 
them to the end. 

It was useless, I soon found, to rely upon 
the members of the family for intelligence, 
as reporters were not received at the house. 
And likewise there was much concealment 
and mystification as to the real ailment that 
was sapping the life blood of the great states- 
man. It was not until the very last that it 
was learned that he was a sufferer from a 
cancer of the rectum. 

I succeeded in establishing a source of 
news, however, that never failed me, with Max 



Long, the faithful and devoted coachman of 
Mr. Randall. 

At every noon day he would meet me in a 
little saloon in the neighborhood and make a 
report from information which he had ob- 
tained from the physicians and the family. 
This went on for some time when Mr. Randall 
began to fail rapidly. One afternoon I was 
passing the house, hoping to fall in with Long. 
I noticed a woman wiping the front steps of 
the next door house, and engaged her in con- 
versation. She told me that John Wanamaker 
had just gone in to see Mr. Randall. "The 
wall is very thin between the two houses," 
said she, "and we can hear pretty nearly 
everything that is said in Mr. Randall's 
room." This quickened my newspaper in- 
stinct and I made the request that she allow 
me to go upstairs and see if I could hear. 
To this she good-naturally consented, and 
upon reaching the room I could hear Mr. 
Wanamaker, who was then Postmaster-Gen- 
eral in President Harrison's cabinet, praying 
with Mr. Randall. I shall never forget the 
religious talk, the earnestness with which 
Mr. Wanamaker spoke, and the faith in a 
hereafter which Mr. Randall feebly expressed. 
"Mr. Wanamaker is here nearly every after- 
noon just like that," whispered the woinan. 

It is not general'y known that through the 
ministrations of the great Philadelphia mer- 
chant that Mr. Randall died a be'iever in 
Christ, and in full comtuunion in the Presbv- 
terian Church. On the morning of his death, 
learning that it was only a question of an 
hpur, I arranged with Max Long that when 
the final summons came that he should step 
out of the house into the street and drop his 
handkerchief. I took my stand several blocks 
down the street and nearer the capitol. I had 
been reporting about Mr. Randall to Speaker 
Reed, who was dcep'y interested, and reach- 
ing the capitol. I wrote, ''Mr. Randall died at 
12.40," and signing it, sent it in to the Speaker, 
who announced it to the House, which imme- 
diately adjourned out of respect to his mem- 
ory. I reported the funeral in Washington of 
Mr. Randall, and accompanied the body on the 
special train that bore it to Philadelphia. It 
was on that journey that ex-Mayor Richard 
Vaux was decided upon as the successor for 
the unexpired term of Mr. Randall, the sug- 
p^estion, as I remember, being proposed by 
Col. A. K. McClure. 



At the civil service examination of a coun- 
tryman, he was asked how many Hessians 
came over with the British in the Revolution. 
He scratched his head and finally said : "I 
don't know how many came over, but I know 
d d few of them went back." 



Pcniisxk-ailia and Its Public Moi. 



85 



James Pollock 

James Pollock, carpet niaiuifacturer. born 
in County Derry, Ireland, of a Scotch-Irish 
family, August 28, 1846. His parents came 
to America in 1851 and settled in Kensington, 
Philadelphia. Me was educated in the public 




& Bro., remaining with them until ifr'O/, when 
he and his father. James Pollock, Sr.. began 
business as manufacturers of Venetian car- 
pet under the firm name of James Pollock & 
Son. The father died four years later, and 
the son continued the business, which has 
grown to be one of the largest in the country 
for its special grade of goods. He early de- 
veloped literary tastes and became a member 
of several debating societies, while for ten 
years he was Philadelphia correspondent of 
the Carpet Trade Rcz-iew. the first journal 
to represent the carpet and upholstery inter- 
ests of the country. Politically he is a Re- 
publican, was a candidate for Select Council 
from the Thirty-first Ward, and represented 
this ward for nine years. 1S78 to 1887. on the 
Board of Public Education. The Board had 
no more useful and progressive member. 
Earnest as an advocate of municipal reform, 
he became a member of the Committee of 
One Hundred, upon which he actively served. 
He attended several Xational Republican 
conventions, and at the Chicago Convention 
of 1888 urged the platform committee to 



come out strongly in favor of the policy of 
protection. 

In iX.Sj lie organized the great Trades 
Display during the Bi-Centeiinial Celebration 
of the landing of William Penn. antl in 1898 
hatl charge of the Industrial Day of the Jubi- 
lee celebrating the Treaty of Peace after the 
war with Spain. In 1900, when the Repub- 
lican Xational Convention which nominated 
McKinley and Roosevelt met at Philadelphia. 
Mr. Pollock was Chairman of the Finance 
Committee which raised $100,000 toward the 
expenses of the convention. Mr. Pollock was 
appointed, on the 5th of July, 1906, Harbor 
-Master of the Port of Philadelphia by Gov- 
ernor Pennypacker, during which time he 
aroused considerable interest in the welfare 
of the Port of Philadelphia. He was also 
appointed by the same Goverhor on the Com- 
missions to the Louisiana Purchase Exposi- 
tion at St. Louis, in 1903, and the Jamestown 
Ter-Centennial Exhibition in 1907. 

He was one of the organizers and now a 
Director of the Ninth Xational Bank and 
the Industrial Trust Co. He is a member 
and was a director of the Union League, 
Historical Society of Pennsylvania, .Academy 
of Political and Social Sciences, W'hite 
Marsh \'alley Country Club, .Automobile 
Club of Germantown. Philadelphia Cricket 
Club. Pennsylvania Society of Xew York. 
ex-President of Scotch-Irish Society of 
Pennsylvania, a member and ex-President of 
the Five O'Clock Club. He has been a mem- 
ber of the Fairmount Park Commission for 
the past ten years, and serves as chairman 
of its most important committees. 

Mr. Pollock's residence is "The Towers," 
Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia. 



.\t a weekly praise meeting of the Dirigo 
Club, of Philadelphia, Mr. Kid Bender re- 
cited these lines: — 

It was a little lawyer man 

Who softly blushed as he began 

Her poor, dead husband's bill to scan. 

He smiled while thinking of his fee. 
Then said to her. .so tenderly. 
"You have a nice, fat Icgacv." 

And when, next day, he lay in bed 

With bandages upon liis head. 

He wondered what on earth he said. 



John .Adams and Thomas Jefferson both 
died on the 4th of July, 1826. 



86 



Pciiiisylrania and Its Public Men. 



Hon. Henry Houck 

Secretary ot Internal Affairs 

Henry Houck was born in Palmyra, Leba- 
non County, Pennsylvania, March 6, 1838, and 
was educated in the public and private schools. 
In 1852, when but 16 years of age, he began 




teaching in the public school. Four years 
later he was elected principal of the High 
School in North Lebanon borough, and while 
filling this position he prepared for college. 
He was appointed Superintendent of Schools 
of Lebanon County in 1S59, and was thrice 
re-elected. In 1867 he accepted a position in 
the Department of Public Instruction, and in 
i86g was promoted to the office of Deputy 
State Superintendent, which position he filled 
for thirty-eight years. He was twice chair- 
man of the executive committee of the State 
Teachers' Association, and in 1872 presided 
at its annual meeting in Philadelphia. He has 
conducted institutes in many States, and has 
lectured in nearly every city and town in 
Pennsylvania. In 1S93 he made a tour to 
Porto Rico to inquire into the educational 
features of that LTnited States possession. He 
has been honored with the degrees of Lit. D. 
and A. M.. by Pennsylvania College and 
Franklin and Marshall College, respectivelv. 
He was elected Secretary of Internal Affairs 
on November 6, 1906. Mr. Houck enjoys an 
enviable reoutation as a public speaker, and 
the reputation of his wit has spread beyond 
the bounds of his State. His fame will rest 
upon his distinction as an educator, and in 
this field in Pennsvlvania he can be said to 



stand without a peer. As a story-teller and 
raconteur Mr. Houck may be said' to be in a 
class by himself, and as a political orator he 
belongs to a school of whom there appears 
to be but few left. 



John Albert Berkey 

State Commissioner of Banking 

John Albert Berkey was born on January 
31, 1861, in Jefferson Township, Somerset 
County, Pa., and received his education in the 
public schools and at the Southwest and 
State Normal School at California, Washing- 
ton County, Pa., where he graduated in 18S4. 
He began teaching school at the age of 17. 
and taught in Fayette, Somerset, and West- 
moreland counties, concluding his work as a 
teacher as principal of the Somerset Borough 
public schools. 

He read law with Ex-Congressman Alex- 
ander H. Coffroth. prominent in the law and 




politics, and was admitted to the bar in l88g; 
in 1890 he was appointed by the Director of 
Census, abstractor of the recorded indebted- 
ness in Bedford, Blair. Cambria, and Somer- 
set counties : in 1892 was elected District At- 
torney of Somerset County; in 1899 was 
elected chainnan of the Republican County 
Committee of Somerset County, and since 
then has been the Somerset County Member 



Pennsxlvania and Its Public Men. 



87 



of the Republican State Committee; in 190J 
he was endorsed by the Republicans of Sdui- 
erset County for Congress in Twenty-third 
Congressional District, and after a prolonged 
contest for the nomination he directed his 
confreres to vote for his former schoolmate. 
Allen F. Cooper, of Cniontown. He is a 
member of the Board of Trustees of the 
Southwestern State Normal School at Cali- 
fornia. Mr. Berkey operates successfully sev- 
eral large farms, enjoys a large and lucrative 
law practice, and is a Republican party leader 
in Somerset County and in his congressional 
district. He was appointed State Commis- 
sioner of Banking by Governor Fennypackcr 
on July 27, 1905, and was subsequently re- 
appointed by Governor Stuart. 



Hon. Henry F. Walton 

Philadelphia 

Henry F. Walton was born October 2. 
1858, at Stroudsburg, Monroe County, Penn- 
sylvania. Served for three sessions as 
Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
He received his early education in the public 
schools and from private tutors. This was 
supplemented by his becoming a law student 
of the Hon. Wayne McX'eagh and the late 
George Tucker I5ispham, Esq. In 1876 he 
was registered as a law student in the lattery- 
office, meanwhile having been a member and 
officer of the Law Academy. He was ad- 
mitted to practice of his profession at the 
bar of Philadelphia in October, 1879, and 
immediately thereafter entered the law office 
of Francis Rawle, Esq. In 1884 Hon. Charle-. 
F. Warwick, then City Solicitor of Philadel- 
phia, appointed Mr. \\"alton one of his as- 
sistants. He occupied this position until he 
was elected to the House of Representatives 
in 1890, to which he was subsequently elected 
in 1892 and 1894. In 1893 the Philadelphia 
delegation pressed his claims for the Speaker- 
ship, but he withdrew as a candidate, and at 
the Republican caucus placed in nomination 
the Hon. Caleb Thompson of Warren County, 
who was subsequently elected. Mr. Walton 
was appointed Chairman of the Committee 
on Judiciary General, and served on other 
committees which had very important work 
to perform, and in 1895 he was elected 
Speaker of that body without any Republican 
opposition. In 1898 he was appointed solici- 
tor to the sheriff of Philadelphia County. 
which position he resigned because of his 
election for the fourth time to the Legisla- 
ture. The ability with which he presided 
over the House in 1895 suggested him as a 
candidate for his old place in 1903, and when 



the Reijublican caucus met all the candidates 
had withdrawn and Mr. Walton was the sec- 
ond time complimented with the unanimous 
nomination by his party. This honor was 
duplicated in 1905 by his selection for the 
third term as Speaker w^ithout the semblance 
of opposition. He is a member of the 
Union League of Philadeljihia, and ex-presi- 
dent of the ^ o'clock Club. He is also a 




member of the Historical .\ssociation Club 
of Philadelphia, Penn Club, and a number of 
other social organizations, and is in all re- 
spects worthy of a prominent position in this 
review. Since 1908 he has been president of 
the Board of Trustees of the Medico-Chirur- 
gical College of Philadelphia. 



The late Col. John W. Forney w-as seated 
in the office of his paper. The Progress, one 
morning, when I happened to drop in to in- 
vite him to join nie in a milk punch at Guy's 
Hotel, when an old and battered actor entered, 
whom he had not seen in a long time. 

"God bless my soul, Charley, and are you 
still alive?" said the Colonel. The actor, 
straightening his aged and attenuated frame, 
and pointing a finger dramatically toward 
heaven, replied: "Shush, Colonel, they have 
forgotten me." 



88 



Pcinisylvania and Its Public Men. 



John W. Ford 

Coroner of Philadelphia 

John W. Ford is a successful type of the 
professional and business man who is found 
particularly active in public affairs. 

Mr. Ford comes of Welsh extraction. He 
was born at Norristown, Pennsylvania, in 1867. 




His parents moved to Philadelphia when he 
was a lad of seven, establishing a home in the 
old Eighteenth Ward. His father obtained 
employment in Hughes & Patterson's rolling 
mill, one of the great industrial plants of the 
ward, where he remained for many years. 

The younger Ford's schooling advantages 
were extremely limited, and he was compelled 
to qi'iit the Vaughan Grammar School at the 
age of fifteen and go to a trade. Under the 
old apprenticeship system he was articled for 
a term of four years with Max Brueckmann, 
of 603 Spring Garden Street, a watchmaker 
and optician, who was then the leader in the 
business, with a reputation extending through- 
out the United States, and his services in con- 
stant demand as an expert. 

At the age of twenty, Mr. Ford completed 
his trade, having shown an extraordinary 
aptitude for it, and having mastered it in all 
its details. 

Although not yet of age, he started in busi- 
ness on his own account, opening a store on 
East Girard Avenue. 



Mr. Ford has devoted much time and atten- 
tion to the interest of educational matters of 
his ward, and for six years was a school 
director and secretary of the school board. 
He severed his active connection with school 
affairs nine years ago, to assume a seat in 
Common Council, to which he was elected by 
a flattering majority. 

His entrance upon a Councilmanic career 
still showed that his interest in the public 
schools was keen, and the only committee that 
he asked to be appointed upon was that on 
Schools, and to which he was attached until 
he resigned from Councils in 1908. 

He is Past Master of Concordia Lodge, No. 
67 ; Past High Priest of Kensington R. A. 
C. ; a member of Kensington Commandery, 
Knights Templar; a member of the Supreme 
Castle of the U. S., Knights of the Golden 
Eagle; a member of Cincinnatus Lodge, No. 
206, of the Odd Fellows; a director in two 
building associations, and a member .of the 
Welsh Society of Philadelphia and the Cam- 
bro-American League. 

He is also an active member of the A. C. 
Harmer and the Edwin S. Cramp Republican 
Clubs, and is president of the Union Republi- 
can Club of the Eighteenth Ward, which rep- 
resents the Republican organization. 

During the "hard times" of 1908, due to the 
world's industrial depression, he was chairman 
of the Finance Committee of the Eighteenth 
Ward Relief Association, which raised and 
dispersed help to the deserving poor and un- 
employed to the amount of $3000. 

At the primaries, held in April, 1908, for 
the nomination of Coroner, Mr. Ford rolled 
up a majority of 86.000, proving his popularity 
and acquaintanceship throughout the city. 

He was elected by a flattering majority, and 
entered upon the discharge of the duties of 
the office on January 4, 1909. 

His former colleagues in Select and Com- 
mon Councils tendered Mr. Ford a dinner at 
the Bellevue-Stratford on January 6, which 
was attended by the members of both Cham- 
bers of Councils and by the, leading Republi- 
cans of the city. 



Miles Crowley, chief of the Galveston fire 
department, and one of the most unique char- 
acters who ever sat in Congress, was elected 
to fill an unexpired term. He said at a cer- 
tain polling place on the "outskirts," a bogie 
election board, "planted" there by his friends, 
after wearing out a pack of cards, the voters 
being few and far between, and drinking all 
the whiskey and telling all their stories, were 
brought to the length of their resources and 
didn't know what to do next, when one of 
them proposed: "Let's tell our real names." 



Fennsxlvania and Its Public Men. 



89 



John M. Walton 

Conlrollct ol Philadelphia 

Captain John M. Walton is one of the few 
men who have had two distinctive careers, one 
in the military and the other in civil life. 
The Waltons originally came from Scotland, 
the family settling in Pennsylvania and New 




York. Captain Walton's grandfather was one 
of the first physicians who settled north of the 
Blue Ridge Mountains. He was an abolition- 
ist and a Quaker. Captain Walton was born 
in Stroudsburg. Monroe County. Pennsylvania, 
in 1842, of parents who were widely and favor- 
ably known in that section. He was educated 
at the famous Moravian School at Lititz, Lan- 
caster County. Late in the "fifties" be re- 
moved to Philadelphia with his father, who 
had received the appointment of Treasurer of 
the L'nited States Mint from President James 
Buchanan. In 1867 young Walton was ap- 
pointed a Second Lieutenant in the Fourth 
Cavalry of the United States Army, and, in 
1871, was promoted to a First Lieutenancy, 
serving with his regiment at various posts in 
the West. In 1879. by reasons of disabilities 
received in the service, he was placed upon the 
retired list. His career in civil life then be- 
gan. Selecting Philadelphia as his place of 
residence, he at once began to take an interest 
in public affairs, and soon attracted the atten- 
tion of the political leaders, and in 1894 he was 
elected to Common Council from the Twenty- 



seventh Ward. For thirteen years he served 
in that body, taking a commanding position by 
reason of his public spiritedness and ability as 
a law-maker. He was endorsed by the reform 
element of the city for his good work, the 
Committee of One Hundred, the Committee of 
I-'ifty, the Committee of Ninety-five, and the 
Twenty-seventh W'ard branch of the Muni- 
cipal League. 

Captain Walton's service as Chairman of 
I lie l'"inance Committee of City Councils made 
liim an authority upon nuinicipal finances, and 
led to his appointment as City Controller by 
the Governor in 1895 for the unexpired term 
of Thomas M. Thompson, who was made Di- 
rector of Public Works. He was nominated 
for the full term by the Republican party. He 
has occupied the office with great ability and 
distinction since. .Among the organizations 
with which he is connected are the American 
Whist League, the Hamilton Club, and the 
L'nion League. He is also a vestryman of St. 
Mary's P. E. Church of West Philadelphia, 
and a brother of the Hon. Harry F. W^alton, 
several times Speaker of the House of Repre- 
sentatives. In 1906 he was a prominent candi- 
date for Mayor, and received the votes of 
many thousands of citizens for the nomina- 
tion. 



Logan Coal Company 

This well-known mining company, of which 
Mr. William Faux is the executive head, was 
established in 1900. The output of the mines 
comprises bituminous and gas coals, and finds 
its market throughout the entire State. Their 
particular territciry is confined to Central 
Pennsylvania, although considerable business 
is done throughout the country. Mr. Faux 
was born October, 1833, and received his edu- 
cation at the local academy at Danville, Penn- 
sylvania. When fifteen years of age he went 
into the iron business, and was employed at 
the roller mills of his native city. He entered 
the coal mining business in 1890, and since 
1900 has been a mining operator. He was 
a candidate for the Legislature in 1902, com- 
prising the Fortieth and Forty-sixth Wards, 
on the reform ticket. He is a member of the 
Free and .Accepted Masons, having taken the 
tliirtv-second degree, and both he and his com- 
pany are, in all respects, worthy of particular 
mention in Pennsylvania and its public men. 



In combatting President Cleveland's predi- 
lection for civil service reform, the Hon. 
Samuel J. Randall, in a bout with him at the 
White House, declared : "You can't maintain 
an armv, Mr. President, unless you feed it." 



90 



J'c:ii!s\'k'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



Hon. H. H. Bingham 

Henry Harrison Bingham lias probably held 
public office continuously longer than any 
other living man in the world, which, in itself, 
is sufficient to make him more than an inter- 
esting character. General MulhoUand, in his 




"Honor of Legion Men," says: "A sketch of 
General Bingham's career reads like a ro- 
mance. It is without parallel in the United 
States, while Europe furnishes no opportu- 
nity for a like. As a soldier upon the martial 
field, as a civilian in important administration 
offices, as an orator upon the party stump, as 
a statesman in Congress, and as an adviser 
and moulder of party policies, he has been a 
success in all and has distinguished himself 
in all." General Bingham was re-elected to 
the Si.xty-first Congress in 1908. In 1878 he 
began his Congressional career which repre- 
sents the longest continuous service in the 
House of Representatives in the history of the 
Nation. He is the "Father of the House." 
During this long period he has been a com- 
manding figure and force. In his second term, 
the Forty-seventh Congress, he was Chairman 
of the Committee on Post Offices and Post 
Roads, showing how rapid was his rise in that 
great body. 

It was through his efforts that letter postage 
was reduced from three cents to two, and 
newspaper and periodical from two cents to 
one cent per pound. The Republicans then 



going out of power, he was again made Chair- 
man on their return in the Fifty-first Con- 
gress. The Democrats were again swept in 
and remained until the Fifty-fourth Congress, 
when Speaker Reed tendered his old Chair- 
manship to General Bingham, who declined it 
to take a place on the more powerful Appro- 
priations Committee, on which he has served 
continuously and for years as the second rank- 
ing member. In all the nominating conven- 
tions except the one in which he defeated 
Chapman Freeman, there has never been the 
vote of a single delegate cast against him, 
which cannot be said of any other public man, 
living or dead. General Bingham resigned 
from the army in 1866, and, returning to his 
home in Philadelphia, entered the offices of 
Benjamin Harris Brewster, and studied law. 
In 1867 he was appointed Postmaster of Phil- 
adelphia, by President Johnson, on the joint 
recommendations of (ienerals Meade and 
Hancock, as a partial reward for his remark- 
able services in the war. Recommissioned by 
President Grant, he continued as a luost effi- 
cient Postmaster until 1872, when he resigned 
to accept the office of Clerk of the Quarter 
Sessions, to which he had been elected over 
William D. Kendrick, Democrat, by a ma- 
jority of 10,771. At the conclusion of his 
term his friends proposed to send him to Con- 
gress, the late Elwood Rowan to succeed him. 
The latter changed his mind, however, and 
decided to take the shrievalty, and the party 
leaders decided that General Bingham was 
the onlv man who could defeat Henry S. 
Hagart who had been nominated by the Dem- 
ocrats, and he was prevailed to again be a 
candidate for the Quarter Sessions Clerkship, 
and after a bitter campaign was elected by 
6689 majority. In 1878, however, he was 
nominated for Congress, running against Gen. 
"Buck" McCandless. Democrat, and Maxwell 
Stevenson, Labor candidate, the powerful 
Knights of Labor having gone into politics. 
The vote was Bingham, 13,751 ; McCahdless, 
6324, and Stevenson, 4223. He has declined 
both the Mayoralty of Philadelphia and the 
Speakership of the House, and has persistently 
refused to be Governor. General Bingham 
was born in Philadelphia December 4, 1841. 
He is of Scotch-Irish stock. His father. 
James Bingham, was engaged in the freight- 
ing and transportation business between Pitts- 
burg. Philadelphia, and New York. General 
Bingham was educated at Jefferson College, 
Washington. Pennsylvania, and immediately 
upon his graduation enlisted in the army and 
was elected captain of a company that was 
attached to the 140th Pennsylvania Volun- 
teers. He was then but twenty and weighed 
109 pounds. In 1863 he was made Judge Ad- 
vocate of the Second Army Corps, he having 



Pciiiisyl'c'oiiici ami Its f'lil^lic Moi. 



91 



attracted the notice of General Hancock. He 
participated in all the campaigns and battles 
of that corps. He was wounded at Gettys- 
burg in "63, Spottsylvania in '64, and Farni- 
ville in '65, two days before the close of the 
war. He was brevetted for special gallantry 
in action as Major, LieiUenant-Colonel. Colo- 
nel, and Brigadier-General, and received a 
medal of honor from Congress for special gal- 
lantry at the Wilderness fight. He was a 
delegate to the Re])ublican National Conven- 
tions in 1872, 1876. 1884, 1888, 1892, 1896. 
1900. 1904, and 1908. In five he has served 
as Chairman of the Committee on Rules and 
Order of Business. He has been a writer of 
the party platforms for many Republican 
State Conventions, and he was one of the 
founders of the .Army of the Republic. He 
was the orator at the dedication of the mag- 
nificent equestrian monument to General Han- 
cock at Gettysburg in 1889. he having served 
on his staff and enjoyed his confidence and 
love. 

How Philadelphia Got the News of the Maine 

The blowing up of the .American battleship 
"Maine" in the harbor of Havana, and which 
horror thrilled the civilized world and hast- 
ened the war with Spain, came to the people 
of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania in an inter- 
esting way, and has never been told. 

It was municipal election day in Philadel- 
phia, Tuesday. February 18, 1S98. The morn- 
ing papers had covered this election fully and 
had set up the returns by divisions, and by 
2 o'clock in the morning the forms had been 
made up and were ready to be sent down to 
the awaiting presses. At this hour .Al Hunt 
and Sam W'arnock were "on the desks" in the 
office of the .Associated Press, and expecting 
to hear from the central oflice in Xew York 
the word of "good-night." -At fifteen min- 
utes after 2 o'clock there came a "flash" bul- 
letin over the wires, saying, "Hold good- 
night: biggest story of the day coming." 
This was sent to the various newspaper offices 
and delayed matters there : but there was not 
an inkling of what portentous news was com- 
ing. Then a few moments later came a 
second "flash" bulletin, which read "Battle- 
ship "Maine" blown up in Havana Harbor. 
Hundreds of lives lost." 

This belated intelligence upset the make-up 
of every newspaper, and demoralized the 
staffs. "The election story had to be set aside 
and a new arrangement of the news made. 
The news of the horror came along later in 
driblets, ta.xing the editors to their greatest 
endeavors, and causing the election news to 
be side tracked and given but little consid- 
eration. .And when the readers looked for it 
they had a hard time to find it. 



Dr. Hubley R. Owen 

Police Surgeon 

Hid)ley R. Owen. .M.IJ., is a follower of 
the profession of his father, Dr. .Alfred M. 
Owen, who was a surgeon in the United 
States navy. He was born at Pensacola, Fla.. 

in i88_^. Hi-; tatlu-r w;is stationed at the 




navy yard at that purl, and three months after 
the birth of young Hubley both jjarents fell 
victims of the yellow fever, which was an 
epidemic at the time and carried off hundreds. 
He was cared for by relatives residing in 
Washington. He was educated at the Friend's 
School at the national capital, and the Episco- 
pal High .School in N'irginia. Deciding to 
adopt the profession of his father, he entered 
the University of Pennsylvania, where he took 
his degree in 1903. 

Dr. Owen received the appointment of 
resident jihysician at the Children's Hospital, 
and subsequently at the Episcopal Hospital, in 
which po.'ts he acquitted himself with distinc- 
tion. Dr. Owen had long been a friend of 
the Hon. John E. Reyburn, their intimacy 
having been established in Washington, and 
the latter recognizing his sterling qualities of 
mind and heart took a lively interest in his 
advancement. In the first year of his term 
as Mayor of Philadelphia. October I, 1907. 
he appointed him to the responsible position 
of Police Surgeon of the city, and he is the 
youngest physician who has ever occupied it. 



92 



Pciiusxk'uiiia and Its Public Men. 



Charles Seger 

Municipal Legislator 

Charles Seger has been a potent force in 
the City Councils and the politics of Phila- 
delphia for twenty years. He has been a 
member of both branches of City Councils, 
serving in the Common branch for five terms, 
covering a period of ten years, and in the 
Select branch ten years. During this time 
he was the right-hand man of Israel W. Dur- 
ham, the erstwhile political leader of Phila- 
delphia, and had greatly to do with the shap- 
ing of legislation and the appropriation of 
many million dollars. Mr. Seger was Chair- 
man of the Finance Committee of City Coun- 
cils for five years, and is now a member of 
the sub-committee, or what is known as the 
"little" Finance Committee, which, for many 
years, has dealt with the finances of the city, 
fixing the tax rate, apportioning the appro- 
priations, and dealing • practically with all 
financial questions. He has acted as the floor 
leader of City Councils while a member of 
both branches, and for years has been the 
Republican organization leader of the Sev- 
enth Ward. Mr. Seger was born in the city 
of Louisville, Ky., his family settling in Phil- 
adelphia when he was four years old. He 
was a member of the Paid Fire Department 
for a number of years, and served as fore- 
man of two of its companies. He left it to 
engage in a mercantile pursuit, and in l8go 
begat) his councilmanic career. He has been 
a potent factor and a member of all the im- 
portant committees of that body. Mr. Seger's 
loyalty and his services to the Hon. Israel W. 
Durham are known to all Philadelphians. 
He is a ihember of Mount Moriah Lodge, No. 
155, F. & A. M., Oriental Chapter: the Wm. 
R. Leeds, the Penrose, the Senate, and the 
Young Republicans, and the Union Repub- 
lican Clubs. 



A Story of John G. Carlisle and the 
Chicago Convention 

It was far in the night of the memorable all- 
night session of the Democratic National Con- 
vention of 1892, that, heated with the human 
steam of the crowded wigwam, and a great 
deal dryer than some of the Prohibition coun- 
ties of Iowa, I left the Convention for a 
breath of air from the lake and possibly for 
something else. My old friend, Fergv Ferris, 
of the Wheeling Intelligencer, chaperoned me. 
In the neighborhood of the wigwam we saw a 
tall man leaning up against a lamp post, a dis- 
tinguished individual whom we both recog- 
nized and steered for. It was John G. Carlisle, 
then a Senator of the United States. He was 
laboring under suppressed excitement, I at once 



saw. The talk drifted upon the situation. The 
three of us coincided that the key to the Cleve- 
land position was the prolongation of the 
Convention's sitting until a ballot was reached. 
If the Convention adjourned until morning 
we knew that the jig was up with Grover 
Cleveland, and that David B. Hill would be 
the victor. 

"Boys," remarked Mr. Carlisle, pointing his 
bony finger at the great wigwam bathed in 
its flood of electric light, "they are commit- 
ing suicide over there." 

"Well, Mr. Carlisle," I interrupted, "why 
don't you go into the Convention and stop 
it?" "I am not a delegate," he replied. "But 
it will be easy for you to get a substitution," 
I suggested. "No, there are others there to 
do it. They tell me that this opposition to 
Cleveland is confined to Tammany. I tell you 
it isn't. It extends throughout the entire 
Democratic organization of the State of New 
York, from Buffalo to Coney Island." 

My friend Ferris suggested that we had left 
the Convention hall for a fixed purpose. We 
invited Mr. Carlisle to join us. 

It was the saddest drink I ever took. 

Little did I dream as I fed the internal fires 
of my organism with Chicago proof spirits, 
that the man by my side would in less than a 
year's time be President Cleveland's Secretary 
of the Treasury, and that through him he would 
end his public career and break with his party. 



Quay's Story on Boies Penrose 

The late Magistrate Robert R. Smith, the 
old Republican leader of the Eighth Ward, 
Philadelphia, told an amusing story at the 
expense of Senator Boies Penrose. He said 
in 1885 M. S. Quay, who was then the Cam- 
eron lieutenant, meeting him, inquired: "Bob, 
whom have you in mind to send to the legisla- 
ture?" 

"I am thinking of a young lawyer by the 
name of Penrose," replied Bob. "He comes 
from a good family, and I think he will be 
all right." 

"Send him to me at the Continental when I 
come down next week, and I will look him 
over," said Quay. And this Bob did. 

After the interview Bob met Quay and 
the latter said : "Well, Bob, I had a talk with 
him and he appears to be all right: but what 
funny shoes he wears." 

"What's the matter with his shoes ?" 

"Well, they weren't mates, to begin with, 
and one of them was tied up with a piece of 
twine," laughed Quay. 

The prospective senator in those days was 
rather careless of his dress. 



Pcmisvh'aiiia and lis Public Men. 



93 



William T. Creasy 

Columbia 

William Trenton Creasy, the Democratic 
leader of the House of Representatives, ap- 
pears to be a fixture in the Legislature, he 
having served continuously in that body since 
1894. He is one of the best known public 




men in the State, and besides bis long jjolit- 
ical career and in which lie may be termed 
"a watch dog of the treasury," he is affiliated 
with the Grangers and is now at the head 
of the State Grange. Mr. Creasy is distinc- 
tively a "man of affairs," a trained and vigi- 
lant legislator and parliamentarian, a sjilenflid 
and successful farmer, and an arch enemy of 
legislative boodlers and public jobbery of all 
descriptions. He is a native of Columbia 
County, having been born in Catawissa Town- 
ship in 1S56. His education was obtained in 
the public schools, at the Catawissa .Academy, 
and the State Xormal School at Bloonisburg. 
He began his active career as a school teacher 
at sixteen. Upon reaching voting age he 
identified himself with the Democratic party, 
and at once became active in its affairs. His 
first public office was that of school director, 
and in 1X93 he was appointed Mercantile .\p- 
praiser for Columbia County. He followed 
the occupation of his father, that of a farmer, 
and his farm at Catawi.ssa is a model one. 
devoted largely to fruit and stock raising. 



In 1894 he was first elected to the Legislature, 
and has received seven re-elections: in 1896. 
1898. 1900, 1902, 1904. 1906, and 1908, a dis- 
tinction accorded to no other man outside the 
city of I'hiladelphia in the history of the 
State. He has been his party's choice for 
Speaker of the House, and in 1901 he was 
honored by election as Chairman of the Dem- 
ocratic -State Conunittee, and re-elected in 
1902. In 1899 he was the unanimous choice 
of his party for .State Treasurer, and polled 
a flattering vote. He was appointed by the 
( iovcrnor to attend the X'ational Conference 
on Taxation, held at Buffalo in May, 1901, at 
which be delivered an address on "Taxation," 
which has been extensively quoted throughout 
the United States. At the session of the Leg- 
islature. 1903, he was named by the Speaker 
of the House on a commission to represent 
Pennsylvania at the National Good Roads' 
Congress, held at Detroit, Mich. Mr. Creasy 
possesses all the requirements essential for a 
leader of the niinf)rity in a body like the Leg- 
islature. He makes it his duty to criticize 
and analyze all measures that come before the 
House, and is ever w'atchful, for the "snakes." 
He is particularly interested in the subjects 
of good roads, the equalization of taxation, 
and all matters that especially concern the 
farmer. Mr. Creasy has offered bills on all 
important subjects that has seriously engaged 
the attention of the Legislature for many 
years. He is found upon the party stump in 
every campaign, and is a forcible and con- 
vincing speaker. He is regarded by the 
farmers of the State as their special cham- 
pion. Extraordinary efforts were made by 
the liquor interest, in 1908, to encompass the 
defeat of Mr. Creasy for re-nomination and 
election, but they proved abortive. It is ex- 
Tiected that Mr. Crca.sy will succeed ]. Henry 
Cochran, of Lycoming, in the .State .Senate. 



Rolling Up the Berks Majority 

There was a meeting in a country school- 
house in Berks County, and after the speeches 
a leading (ierman was called on for a few 
remarks. He said: — ■ 

"Fellow-citizens, we half hert d" chin music, 
yes ! Und d' time has now come ven ve must 
all git togedder und undo that vich ve haf 
not dit. All git togedder luid roll up such a 
Dcmocratig majority in Berks Coimdy that it 
vill roll und roll und roll undil it rolls all ofer 
Berks Coundy. all ofer d' State of Pennsyl- 
vania, all ofer the United States, vill roll 
across d' ocean und vill roll up to Queen 
\'ictoria vere she is sitting on her throne, 
und she vill say: 'Good gracious! vot a 
Dcmocratig majority Berks Coundy dit roll 
up.' " 



94 



Pciinsyk'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



James H. Toughill 

Police Magistrate 

Tames H. Toiighi'l bears a family name that 
is familiar to all old downtown residents of 
Philadelphia. His father was the leading 
trucker of that section before the advent of 
the great citv blotted out its fertile acres and 




a great horseman. He kept horses both as a 
dealer and for speeding purposes. He could 
do wonders with the soil, and the latter part 
of his life engaged in farming at Red Hill. 
JNIontgomery County. He died at the age of 
.seventy-eight, the result of a horse runaway. 
The mother died in 1907, aged eighty-four 
years, one of the most widely known women 
of South Philadelphia. James H. Toughill 
was brought to this country from Ireland 
wdien he w'as eleven years old. the family 
settling in the old First Ward, Philadelphia. 
His education was picked up in the public 
schools: the Buck Road School, the Ring- 
gold School, and "Daddy" Parker's at Eighth 
and Fitzwater Streets. He then devoted a 
few years to the father's farm, and then en- 
tered the employ of C. A. Lyman & Co., 
agents for the Leesport and Thomas Iron 
Companies, for wdiom his father had the con- 
tract for hauling, maintainine many teams. 
He subsequently went into the foundry of 
North, Chase & North, at Second and Mifflin 
Streets, where he learned the trade of an iron 



moulder, and which he pursued for twenty 
years, or until his health broke down under 
the hard labor. 'Mr. Toughill was then em- 
ployed by Lelar & Co., wholesale dealers in 
liquors, and remained there until 1886, when 
he secured a political position in the Sub- 
Treasury of the United States. Mr. Toug- 
hill early identified himself with the Demo- 
cratic party, and was extremely active in its 
interests. He served in the Sub-Treasury in 
Philadelphia under Sub-Treasurers Eyster, 
S. Davis Page, Captain Walters, W. D. Bigler, 
and Major Finney, and was made Superin- 
tendent. He takes great pride in his long 
service there and the number of administra- 
tions he served under. He resigned in 1900 
to take the position of Police Magistrate, to 
which he had been elected after a bitter con- 
test and by but 496 majority. He was re- 
elected in 1905. 

Magistrate Toughill has been a member 
of the Democratic Committee' of the First 
Ward for thirty-four years, and of the Demo- 
cratic City Catnpaign Cotnmittee for ten. 
He is the Deinocratic leader of the First 
Ward. He is one of the finest live pigeon 
shots in the country, with records of twenty- 
five straight birds killed. 



Thought Gen. Bingham Wanted His Hole 

General H. H. Bingham was on General 
Hancock's staff at the Battle of Gettysburg, 
and tells this amusing incident of that famous 
struggle: "In the first day's fight I was de- 
tailed by General Hancock to carry a dispatch 
to the commander of a brigade who had a 
position a couple of miles on the outskirts of 
the town. My way led over a country road, 
and while galloping along, I came across the 
most extraordinary and comical sight. A 
shirker from a New York regiment had dug 
a hole in the side of the road of sufiicient 
depth and size to accommodate his body. 
There he was, presumably safe, while the roar 
of the battle sounded like a hundred thunder 
storms. 

" 'Come out of that hole you miserable 
coward, and go to the front,' I commanded in 
my indignation. 

" 'No, I'll be damned if I do,' came a voice 
from the aforesaid hole. "You son of a gun, 
you want this hole for yourself.' 

"This reply struck me as so ludicrous and 
audacious, the coward meaning it. that, laugh- 
ing, I spurred on my horse." 



Don Cameron to Quay, of President Harri- 
son, whom he did not like: "I never trust a 
man who carries the seat of his trousers so 
near the ground." 



Pcitiisylraniii ami Its Public Men. 



95 



William F. Harrity 

Philadelphia 

William F. Harrity. lawyer, nieniher of 
law firm of Harritv. Thompson, and Haig, 
Land Title Biiildinsj. Philadelphia, Pa. 

Born in Wilmington, Dela., Octoher 19, 
1850, attended public schools, Clarkson Tay- 




lor's Academy and St. Mary's College, W'il- 
mingtoh, Dela. ; graduated from La Salle 
College, Philadelphia, 1870: taught mathe- 
matics, Latin, etc., in La Salle College, 1870- 
1871 ; received Degree of Master of Arts. 
1871 ; admitted to Philadelphia bar, 1873: 
practices law in Pennsylvania ; received the 
degree of LL.D. from St. Joseph's College. 
Philadelphia. 1902; received similar degree 
from Christian Brothers' College, St. Louis, 
Mo.. 1904. 

Chairman Democratic City Executive Com- 
mittee of Philadelphia, 1882: Delegate-at- 
Large to Democratic National Convention. 
1884; Postmaster at Philadelphia, 1885-1889: 
Chairman Democratic State Central Cominit- 
tee of Pennsylvania, 1890: Secretary of State 
of Pennsylvania. 1891-1895: Chairman Demo- 
cratic National Committee in 1892, when 
Grover Cleveland was elected President for 
a second time: continued as Chairman Demo- 
cratic National Committee until 1896; was 
tendered position in President Cleveland's 
Cabinet, but declined, preferring to serve out 



his term as Secretary of State of Pennsylva- 
nia; Delegate-at-Large to Democratic Na- 
tional Convention, 1896: Chairman Pennsyl- 
vania Delegation to Democratic National Con- 
vention of 1896, and temporary chairman of 
that convention. 

In the Democratic National Convention of 
1S96 Mr. Harrity received twenty-one votes 
for \'icc-I'resident. delegates from Connecti- 
cut. Delaware. Rhode Island, and South Da- 
kota voting for him. although he was not a 
candidate for the position. The sixty-four 
votes of Pennsylvania would also have been 
cast for him had not Mr. Harrity himself 
(who was chairman of the delegation) re- 
(|uested otherwise. It is authoritatively stated 
that prominent free silver leaders declared 
that if Mr. Harrity were willing to stand upon 
the platform adopted he would receive their 
support for the \ice-Presidency and be nom- 
inated. Mr. Harrity advised against such 
action being taken, not being in accord with 
the platform adopted by the convention. 

Director of The Equitable Trust Company. 
Philadelphia: Franklin National Bank. Phi'- 
adelphia: ^Market Street .National Bank. Phil- 
adelphia: Philadelphia Electric Company; 
.American Railways Company .'Distilling Com- 
pany of .America; The Kansas City Southern 
Railway Company ; Lehigh Valley Transit 
Company: Chicago L'nion Traction Company; 
Midland \'alley Railroad Company ; Alutual 
Life Insurance Co.. of New York, and other 
business corporations. Trustee of La Salle 
College. Philadelphia: Member of Board of 
Public Education: .American Catholic His- 
torical Society; Historical Society of Penn- 
sylvania: -American Bar .Association; Law 
.Association of Philadelphia: Lawyers' Club 
of Philadelphia, and many other clubs and 
societies. 

One of the prettiest scenes that I ever saw- 
was at the celebration of the Vorktown cen- 
tennial, where Pennsylvania was represented 
by her State officials, the mayors of her cities, 
the judges of her courts, and the members of 
the legislature, together with the First Regi- 
ment. The Pennsylvanians were conveyed 
to Yorktown on the big Hudson River steamer, 
the "Galatea." On the day of the formal 
ceremony it was arranged that the distin- 
guished guests should march arm in arm to 
the grand stand, where the speaking was to 
take place. Between a file of soldiers the 
procession came, headed by President .Arthur 
and General Hancock. It was the universal 
verdict that these great characters, as they 
strode over the boarded walk, presented two 
of the most handsome and physically perfect 
specimens of .American manhood that could 
have been linked together, and the applause 
was vociferous. 



96 



Pcinisxk'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



Hon. William C. Sproul 

William C. Sproul, State Senator, publisher, 
president : born in Octararo, Lancaster 
County, Pa., September i6, 1870, son of 
William Hall Sproul and Deborah Dickinson 
(Slokom) Sproul. He was prepared in pub- 




lic higli bcliuuls in AL-yaunec, Alicli., and at 
Chester, Pa., and was graduated from Swarth- 
more College as B.S. in 1891. He purchased 
a one-half interest in the Chester Daily Times 
in 1892; was elected vice-president of Roach's 
shipyard in 1898, and organized, in 1900, the 
Seaboard Steel Casting Company, of Chester, 
of which he is president ; also organized the 
Chester Shipping Company, of which he is 
president, in 1900. He became interested in 
coal and timber properties in West Virginia 
in 1901, and has since given much attention 
to these and railroad interests in that State. 
He is president of the Coal River Railway 
of West Virginia, the Camden Interstate 
Railway of West Virginia, Kentucky, and 
Ohio; Kanawha Valley Traction Company, 
Charleston and Southside Bridge Company, 
and the .Spruce River Coal Land Company ; 
treasurer of the Kanawha Bridge and Ter- 
minal Company, director of the Commercial 
Trust Company of Philadelphia : Delaware 
County Trust Company of Chester ; of the 
First National Bank and Delaware County 
National Bank of Chester. He has traveled 



in Europe, Mexico, and Alaska. Mr. Sproul 
entered politics early in life; was elected in 
1896 to the Senate of Pennsylvania by the 
Republicans of the Ninth Senatorial District 
and re-elected in 1900, in 1904, and again in 
1908. In 1903 he was chosen president pro 
tempore of the Senate and re-elected in 1905. 
He has been a member of the most impor- 
tant committees of the Senate and of several 
State commissions. Senator Sproul is prob- 
ably best known as the author of the Sproul 
Road Bill, passed by the legislature in 1903, 
under which a comprehensive system of road 
improvement has been inaugurated in Penn- 
sylvania: and he is also the author of the 
bills providing for the Congress to consider 
the question of uniform divorce laws and 
other important measures. In March, 1907. 
he gave Swarthmore College funds for build- 
ing and equipping an observatory to contain 
one of the largest telescopes in the world. In 
religion he is a member of the Religious So- 
ciety of Friends. He is a member of the 
Pennsylvania Historical Society, trustee of 
Swarthmore College, trustee of the Pennsyl- 
vania Training School for Feeble-Minded 
Children, member of the Phi Kappa Psi fra- 
ternity. Book and Key Society, Masonic fra- 
ternity, Benovolent and Protective Order of 
Elks, and Patrons of Husbandry. His favor- 
ite recreations are shooting and fishing. He 
is a member of the Union League, Univer- 
sity, Corinthian Yacht, and Pen and Pencil 
clubs, of Philadelphia; Manhattan and Engi- 
neers' clubs, of New York; Penn Club, of 
Chester; Harrisburg Club. Rose Tree Fox 
Hunting and Springhaven County clubs. 



Mr. Lem Buch, a leading Republican poli- 
tician and liquor dealer of Reading, paid a 
visit to Washington soon after the election 
of Tom Reed to the Speakership, and asked 
me to introduce him to the famous statesman 
from Maine, which I did. The Berks district 
was then represented in Congress by David 
W. Bruner, who happened to be absent on 
this particular day. After the introduction 
Mr. Buch asked of the Speaker : — 

"How is Bruner doing?" 

"Who is Bruner?" innocently asked the 
heavy man from Maine. 

"The Representative from our famous Berks 
district." replied the Reading man, consider- 
ably astonished that the Speaker should not 
know Bruner. 

"Oh, yes; the old gentleman who eats ap- 
ples in Congress," answered the Speaker with 
a smile. 

Reed thought this was very funny, but Air. 
Buch did not. 



Pciiiisyhviiia and Its Piiblic Men. 



Albert Nevan Pomeroy 

AllxTt Xevan Ponicroy was born in Phila- 
delphia. May 2/. 1859. residing there and at 
the town of Pomeroy (which was named after 



James W. King 




his laniiiyj, Chester County, imlil 1S74. He 
removed to Chanihersburg. where he pursued 
his studies at the Chanihersbura; .\cademy. 
In 1877 he entered the office of the Kc/'ository, 
a newspaper which was owned and edited bv 
his father, the late Hon. John M. Pomeroy. 
In 1885 Mr. Pomeroy and his brother became 
associated with their father in the printing and 
publishing business. Later the two brothers 
conducted the business alone, and in 1891 Mr. 
Pomeroy became the sole owner of the busi- 
ness, and still continues it. In 1887 he was 
elected chairman of the Republican County 
Committee, and re-elected in 1888-1889. He 
served as clerk in the office of the Secretary 
of the Commonwealth from 1887 until 1891. 
when he resigned. He was elected to the 
House of Representatives as a Republican in 
1894. and re-elected in Xovember. 1900. He 
was appointed Superintendent of Public Print- 
ing and Binding by Governor Pennypacker. 
March 24. 1903. and was reappointed by Ciover- 
nor Stuart to the same position. As the State 
Printer he has instituted many reforms, and 
brought this costly department of the State 
government down to bed-rock and practical 
business principles. 
7 



James W. King, lawyer and journalist, has 
achieve<l success in both of these professions. 
He is a Philadelphian born and bred: a grad- 
uate of the public schools, of Celtic blood, 
his ancestors having been peojjle of distinc- 
tion in the rock regions of Western Ireland, 
where (Gaelic is still the household tongue, 
liefore his admission to the bar he was man- 
aging editor of the Phila(leli)bia I'rcss. having 
also l)een city editor of that newspaper. .Al- 
though active in jjolitical circles, he has con- 
sistently refused to accept any political office. 
lie has been identified in a modest way with 
ini|)ortant religious movements, and was a 
member of the executive connnittee appointed 
for the celebration of -Archbishop Ryan's Sil- 
ver Jubilee, and took an active part in the 
cclebratinn of the centenary of this Catholic 




dioce>e m the past sprmg. lie has received 
an honory degree from Lafayette College and 
is a meinl)cr of the L'niversitv and other clubs. 



Here is a rose that exemplifies the charm- 
ing eloquence of the late President Ciarfield. 
Replying to a speaker in the House of Rep- 
resentatives, he said: "He grows lachrymose 
over a point of order and strews the flowers 
of rhetoric over a motion to adjourn." 



98 



Pcnnsyli'aiiia ami Its Public Men. 



Joseph B. Hutchinson 

Joseph B. Hutchinson was born in Rristol, 
Pa., March 20, 1844. and after graduating; 
from the Pennsylvania Polytechnic College, 
entered the De'matcr In n Works. In 1862 




he received a third assistant engineer's cer- 
tificate and entered the service of Hargus & 
Company, on one of their steamers, retaining 
the position until the vessel was sold to the 
government in 1863. In June of that year he 
became a rodman on the Mifflin & Center 
County Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, 
and left two weeks later to enter the Union 
Army. After the Gettysburg campaign he 
again became a rodman on the Western Penn- 
sylvania Railroad, and in August, 1864, was 
made assistant engineer of maintenance of 
way and construction, and from 1868 to 1870 
he was successively assistant engineer of the 
Port Deposit Railroad and the Butler Exten- 
sion and Columbia Bridge. His promotion to 
the principal assistant engineership of the 
Colombia and Port Deposit occurred the same 
year, and in 1877 he was made assistant su- 
perintendent. In 1879 he was superintendent 
of the Lewistown Division, and during the en- 
suing fourteen years held the same position 
with the Frederick, the Altoona, and the 
Western Pennsylvania Divisions, the Marv- 
land Division of the P. W. & B., the Wash- 
ington Southern Railwav, and the Baltimore 



and Potomac Railroad. In 1893 he was made 
general superintendent of transportation, and 
supervised all train movements over the en- 
tire system east of Pittsburg and Erie. In 
1897 Mr. Hutchinson was chosen general 
manager of all the Pennsylvania Railroad 
lines east of Pittsburg, and in 1903 was ap- 
pointed assistant to 2d vice-president of same. 
He is a member of the Union League of Phil- 
adel]5hia. Engineers' Club of Philadelphia, 
Philadelphia Country Club, Franklin Insti- 
tute, and the Metropolitan Club, of Washing- 
ton, D. C. He is acknowledged as being one 
of the leading practical railroad men of the 
country, and a member of a group that has 
made the Pennsylvania the standard railroad 
of the United States. 



Robert Brannan 

Philadelphia 

The suliject of this sketch hardly needs an 
introduction, but for the purposes of this book 
he is justly entitled to recognition. Mr. Bran- 
nan was born in Gloucester, X'ew Jersey, 
June 28, 1863. He received his primary edu- 
cation in the schools of South New Jersey, 
and entered journalism in his youth. At first 
he had taken an important post with his coun- 
try paper, and afterward became one of 
the editors of the Camden Courier. Soon 
afterward he joined the staff of the Phila- 
delphia Press, his work there rapidly as- 
suming a most important character. He 
specialized on municipal matter and general 
politics, and became recognized as an author- 
ity in these twin fields. He represented the 
Press as a correspondent of the Legislature at 
Harrisburg, and. although frequently re- 
quested to accept political preference and 
office, he declined such offers, having already 
entered upon the study of law. He was ad- 
mitted to the bar December, 1896, and shortly 
thereafter relinquished his journalistic work. 
He was chosen as .Assistant City Solicitor by 
the Hon. John L. Kinsey, now Judge of Com- 
mon Pleas Court No. i. His work in the 
department of the city government has been 
highly approved, and has been openly com- 
mended by judges as well as by his superior 
in the law dejiartment. Mr. Brannan is in 
charge of all the litigation concerning the city 
of Philadelphia in Common Pleas Court No. 
5, and his knowdedge of municipal law is so 
thorough that he is frequently consulted on 
these topics by high oflScials. On account of 
the excellent results his work has done, Mr. 
Brannan has been especially selected by the 
city solicitors to defend the city in recent 
cases wdnere the amount involved has been 
unusuallv large. He has for several vears 



Pciiiisykviiia and Its riiblic Men. 



99 



Ijt-on :i iiK-nilHT of the County Board of Law 
lilxaniincrs. He is associated in the practice 
of the law with James I. King, a former fel- 
low journalist. 



Robert J. Moore 

City Commissioner 

Robert J. Moore is a native of the old 
Fourth Ward of Philadeliihia. having; been 
born and raised in it. and is known to nearly 




everybody who lives in it. In his early youth 
he became identified with the Republican 
party, and has passed through the many po- 
litical battles the ward has witnessed when 
it was almost worth a man's life to oppose 
the Democracy as led and ruled by the late 
S<|uire William McMullin. Mr. Moore was 
the first Republican the Fourth Ward sent 
to the Legislature. He was nominated for 
Representative in 1893. He was then con- 
ceded to be the most popular Republican 
in the ward, and was selected by the party 
leaders on that account. He served but one 
term, declining a re-election. His great suc- 
cess in changing this famous "dark and 
bloody ground" from a Democratic strong- 
hold into a Republican (iibraltar after the 
death of the famous Stpiire McMullin, enti- 
tled Mr. Moore to something better than the 
berth of a Harrisburg statesman, and so he 



was ma<le a police magistrate. .Mr. .Moore 
learned the trade of a ])rinter, and occupied 
himself at it uiuil his political activitv was 
recognized and rewarded by the appointment 
of a clerkship in the Comptroller's ofiice. In 
1897 he was elected a police magistrate and 
was twice re-elected. In 190.S his political 
work entitled bini to further promotion, and 
he was nominated and elected a County Com- 
missioner to serve for three years, lie is one 
of the most pouular of the younger men of 
the Re])ul)lican party of Philadelphia, and 
fiossesses many lovable and enjoyable per- 
sonal ([ualilics. 



Frederick J. Shoyer 

I'rederiek J. Slmyer was bori) in Philadel- 
phia, September 23. 186S. and received his 
primary education in the public schools. .\t 
sixteen he began clerking in a grocery store, 
hut the bent of his mind being in the direc- 
tion of the study of law, he, in 1887, was 
registered as a student in the offices of John 
.S. .McKinlay, Fs(|. .\t the same time he look 
a regular course in the law school of the Uni- 
versity of Pennsylvania, paying his way bv 
working as a clerk for the Commonwealth 
Title, Insurance and Trust Company. He 
graduated from the law school and was ad- 
mitted to the bar Octoljer, 18S9, and asso- 
ciated himself in the active practice of his 
profession in the offices of his preceptor, and 
within six months proved his aliiiity in many 
ways, particularly by conducting and arguing 
three cases on ai)peal before the Supreme 
Court, in two of which he was successful in 
obtaining verdicts for his client. lie was 
appointed special assistant to the District .\t- 
torncy by Hon. John Weaver, in 1902, and 
proved lo be a wise choice. His ability was 
shown by the systematic and efft-clivc pre- 
sentaliim of the cotnmonwealths evidence, 
and his eloquent and convincing arguments 
lo the jury invariably brought about the de- 
sired results. He was appointed .\pril 4. 190,^, 
Director of Supplies, under the new act of 
the .Assembly. In this capacity he saved the 
city a large amount of money by reason of 
bis intelligence and perseverance, and insisted 
that only the lowest bids he accepted. He was 
suggested as a candidate of the City Party 
for District .Attorney, and at once resigned 
his directorship, which had been paying bini 
$10,000 a year in order to be free to make 
a canvass among the people, and to make 
clear the principles of his political faith. His 
unusual conduct received almost instant uni- 
versal approval by the press and the public. 
Mr. .Sbover is in all respects a man worthy 
of prominent position in this volume. 



100 



I'ciiiisylT-ania and Its Public Men. 



George W. B. Hicks 

Philadelphia 

George W. I>. Hicks, a Phi'aclelphian 1)orn 
and bred, the subject of this sketch, possesses 
characteristics that are unique to an unlim- 
ited degree. 




He is purely original. 

The strongest kind of an optimist. 

Exceedingly aggressive, yet kind : made 
happy by helping others. 

Fearless to a degree as being blank to 
criticism. 

Has had an exceptional qualification in 
national. State, and city affairs, having spent 
months at a time at the national capitol. 

He served in the Legislature — the session 
of 1895. 

Has visited all the large cities of the Union 
studying municipal affairs. 

In his municipal studies he has made thor- 
ough researches, which place in his possession 
a rare knowledge of Philadelphia history . 

So great was his worth considered by the 
men in control of the municipality that a spe- 
cial office was created for him — that of Mu- 
nicipal Statistician, and to which he was ap- 
pointed during the administration of Alayor 
Reyburn. 

Philadelphia's Founders" \\'eek of 1908 will 
ever be his monument. 

Mr. Charles A. Bowman, writing in the 



Philadelphia Evening Star, said: "I notice 
with much satisfaction that a project is on 
foot to revive on each mayoralty inaugura- 
tion the magnificent historical pageant of 
Founders' Week. While I can claim no 
direct connection whatever with the success 
of this great affair, I will say that I was in 
close touch with it and know exactly to whom 
the credit is due. 

"'J'herefore I am exceedingly glad of the 
opportunity to declare that had it not been for 
the cool-headed judgment of jNIayor Reyburn 
and his high sense of loyalty and honor in 
placing the authority in the hands of the 
creator and organizer of the entire affair. 
George W. B. Hicks, at the time he did, the 
affair gave every promise of winding up in 
a miserable fiasco instead of the great event 
that now places the name of Philadelphia at 
the head of every city in the world that has 
ever attemjjted a similar function." 



Sage Advice from Simon Cameron 

.Simon Cameron upon a birthday occasion 
was called upon by a trio of members of the 
Legislature from Philadelphia to whom he gave 
some sound political advice which is worthy of 
preservation. The aged political autocrat was 
then Hearing his end. The callers were C. 
Harry Fl^;tcher, Horatio B. Connell and Wil- 
liam H. Brooks. Mr. Cameron said, address- 
ing each in turn : "Mr. Fletcher, your father 
was a state Senator and a friend of mine. 
When I was first elected to the United States 
Senate he was ill with typhoid fever at a 
hotel in Harrisburg and was carried on a 
stretcher into the Hall of the House and it 
was his vote that elected me. He did that 
risking his life and in violation of the com- 
mand of his physician through friendship for 
me. They thought they had me beaten. Init 
;',iur father's vote saved me." 

"Mr. Connell, your father was also a State 
Senator and voted for me and he did that 
through friendship which feeling lasted until 
he died." 

"Mr. Brooks, your father was likewise a 
friend of mine and rendered me valuable 
political service in Philadelphia and he did it 
through friendship. Nov\-, this is what I desire 
to sav to you boys; whatever I have gotten 
out of politics has come to me largely through 
friendship. When I have had to get what 
I wanted and could not attain it through 
friendship I have purchased it. My advice to 
you is never sell your vote for money. If you 
want to retain the friendship and respect of 
political leaders through life don't take their 
monev. If you do they will estimate you on 
a monev par and treat you accordingly." 



Pciiiisxk'aiiia ami /ts I'lihlic Men. 



101 



Harry Shoch 

Philadelphia Builder 

Harry Slioch is one of the enterprising men 
who materially have aided in bestowins; upon 
Philadelphia its soubriquet of the "City ot 




I ionics." The son ol a larnicr, he ua^ Ijuni 
in Upper Merion Township. Montgomery 
County. Pennsylvania, on September i6. 1.S44. 
His early life was spent upon the farm, while 
he attended in winter the country school of his 
neighborhood. .\t the age of seventeen he 
struck out for himself and came to Philadel- 
phia, and was apprenticed to the carjjcntry 
trade, which he thoroughly mastered. Mr. 
Shoch was born with an ambition to "git 
there." and possessing uinisual business and 
e.xecutive abilities, he soon determined to set 
up for himself as a master builder, which 
occupation he diligently pursue<l in a colossal 
way for a number of years. Mr. Shoch is a 
distinctive type of the self-made man. and the 
architect of his own fortune. During his 
career as an operative builder he has erected 
four thousand houses alone in the great north- 
western section of the city, embracing the 
Twenty-eighth and Twenty-ninth Wards, and 
these will be his monument. 

Mr. Shoch carlv identified himself with the 
Republican partv. and here as in business life, 
he has made his influence felt. Me was elected 
to Select Council from the old Twentv-niiuh 



\\ anl in 1SS4. and continued a prominent 
figure in that body until elected City Treas- 
urer. He has served in the City Council on 
and off for many years, anil has had nuich to 
do with shaping legisl;ilion and the financial 
policies of the city. L'])nn the creatifin of the 
new Forty-.seventh Ward from the Twenty- 
ninth, in 1907. Mr. .Shocli was elected its first 
.'select Coinicilman. He is a member of the 
Cnion League, the Columbia Club: is treas- 
urer of the Quaker City .\uto Company, and 
I he sales agent in Philadelphia for the Peerless 
and Cadillac machines. .Mr. Shoch is the ac- 

ive manager of his large real estate holdings. 

ind in 1906 was a leading candidate for 
Mavor. polling many th.ousand votes at the 
primary election. 



Robert R. Deardon 

Philadelphia 

Robert R. Deardon. insurance eilitor. i)ub- 
lishcr and legislator, is of English descent. 
His father. \\i!liam. was born in England, 
and. emigrating to .\mcrica. settkd in Massa- 




chusetts and became a prominent and suc- 
cessful crockery ware factor of Xorthani|)tnn. 
in that State. He subse€|uently removed to 
the city of Lowell, Mass., where Robert R. 
was born on March 23, l.*<43. The public and 
private schools provided him with an educa- 



102 



Fciuisyli'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



tion. and upon attaining manhood he engaged 
in mercantile pursuits. The western fever 
finally seized him, and he went to Chicago, 
where, in 1867, he established himself in the 
publishing business. The following year he 
Ijecame identified with the Northwestern Re- 
view of Chicago, and in 1869 he purchased 
the paper from its founder, the late W. F. 
Brewster. In 1875 Mr. Deardon took up his 
residence in Philadelphia and removed his 
publication to that city, changing its name to 
the United States Rez'iezi'. It is regarded as 
an authority upon all branches of insurance, 
and in January, 1909, celebrated its fortieth 
anniversary in a notable and artistic publica- 
tion. 

Mr. Deardon has maintained a continuous 
connection with this paper since 1889, and 
is now associated in the business with his two 
sons. Mr. Deardon enjoys the distinction of 
having represented the city of Philadelphia 
at six sessions of the Legislature, beginning in 
1883 when the Cameron Republican dynasty 
was overwhelmed and when Governor Patti- 
son was first elected, leading to substantial 
reforms given to the complaining people. He 
remained a conspicuous member of the House 
until 1899, serving as a chairman of the im- 
portant Committee on Appropriations at the 
sessions of 1887 and 18S9. He then retired 
from political activity, devoting himself as- 
siduously to business, but in 1906 he was 
taken up by the Reform City Party and elected 
to represent the Germantown district. Al- 
though not in sympathy with the Republican 
organization, his ability and influence was rec- 
ognized, and he was appointed by Speaker 
McClain as one of the members of the com- 
mission to investigate the stupendous frauds 
connected with the new State Capitol, and 
performed his irksome duty with fidelity and 
credit. In 1900 Mr. Deardon was unanimously 
chosen as the candidate for Receiver of Taxes 
on the Municipal League ticket, but declined 
the nomination. In 1908 Mr. Deardon was 
again the candidate with liis colleague, Sam- 
uel Scott, for the Leeislatnre. and although 
the Republican organization went to extraordi- 
nary lengths to defeat him, they were elected 
by small majorities. Mr. Deardon voted for 
Mr. Cox, the Republican caucus candidate for 
Speaker of the House of 1009. He is in con- 
stant demand as a political speaker, and has 
stumped the State in several campaiens. He 
is the only man in Philadelphia who can recite 
from memory the Declaration of Independ- 
ence and name its signers, together with their 
histories. He has had the honor to perform 
this feat at the Fourth of July celebrations in 
Independence Hall. He is a memlier of the 
Masonic Order and an ex-president of the 
exclusive Columbia Club. 



Morris Rosenberg 

Select Councilman. Philadelphia 

Morris Rosenberg, one of the leaders of 
the Jewish race of Philadelphia, is now repre- 
senting the Thirteenth Ward in Select Coun- 
cil for a second term of four vears. He is 




one of the leading undertakers of Philadel- 
phia, a leading member in a large number of 
associations, fraternal orders, Jewish congre- 
gations, institutions, and charities, and a 
staunch champion of a progressive Philadel- 
phia. He is especially interested in the de- 
velopment of the Port of Philadelphia, and 
is Chairman of the Joint Councilmanic Com- 
mittee on Commerce and Navigation. When 
placed at the head of the latter it was mori- 
bund and never held a meeting. Mr. Rosen- 
berg investigated its powers as well as the 
neglected interests of the port, and had in- 
terviews with officials and citizens as to its 
needs. He found that the channel of the 
Delaware River was not deep enough for the 
sea monsters of commerce, which diverted 
trade from the city; that the dockage facili- 
ties were inadequate and antiquated, and had 
been absorbed by railroads whose policy is 
antagonistic to water transportation, and that 
Philadelphia should be awakened or it would 
be far outstripped in the battle for trade by 
its seaboard rivals. Mr. Rosenberg then got 
busy with his committee and succeeded in 
creating a new interest in the subject. 



f'cnitsylrailia and fts Public Men. 



103 



The upshot was the coming together of the 
commercial and maritime bodies, tlie prepara- 
tion of bills revolutionizing the old system of 
authority over the port, the creation of a De- 
partment of Wharves, Ferries, and Docks by 
the Legislature, and an onslaught on Congress 
for a thirty-five foot channel. Mr. Rosen- 
berg will have a monument in the moderniza- 
tion and development of the port's facilities 
to which he and his children can point with 
pride. Morris Rosenberg was born in (ier- 
many in 1.S52. He came to the United States 
in 1867, settling in San Francisco, where he 
opened a jewelry store. He there continued 
with fair success until 1872. when an uncle. 
who was engaged in the same business in 
Philadelphia, induced him to go there and 
succeed him. For twelve years Mr. Rosen- 
berg conducted the business, when the seden- 
tary nature of the occupation endangered his 
health and he was compelled to seek a line 
with more out-door activity. He then look 
up livery and undertaking, the stable of the 
former being in the Fourteenth Ward, and 
the latter at 416 X. Franklin .Street. He 
finally discarded the livery branch and de- 
voted himself to his funeral directorship, and 
in which he has advanced to the front rank. 
He was largely instrumental in legalizing 
by the State, of the occupation of an under- 
taker, thus driving out unskilled and incom- 
petent persons, and protecting the public. He 
has been Grand Master of the Independent 
Order Berith Shalom since its foundation in 
1904, and has assisted in its introduction 
throughout the United States. He is also 
fast Grand of the Benevolent Order of Buf- 
falos. Past Master of St. Paul's Lodge. Xo. 
48, F. & A. M. ; member of Palistine Chap- 
ter. Past Grand of Fidelity Lodge, Xo. 138. 
L O. O. F., and of Har Moriah Lodge, Xo. 
10. L O. B. B., and also Past President of 
Rappaport Lodge. Xo. 33. O. D. S. of L ; 
member of the Jewish Hospital, Mt. Sinai 
Hospital, the Hebrew Orphanage, and Di- 
rector of the Adelphia Loan and Building 
Association. He is al.so a member of several 
Jewish congregations. 

Mr. Rosenberg is noted for his sipiare 
dealing and his charities. The Old \'olim- 
teer Firemen's .Association presented him with 
resolutions of thanks for his gratuitous burial 
of its impoverished members, and the Col. 
William L. Curry Post, Xo. 18, G. A. R.. has 
formally thanked him for similar offices to 
poor veterans of the war. Since he took up 
his resilience in the Thirteenth Ward Mr. 
Rosenberg has been active as a Republican 
and was one of the founders of the Mutual 
Republican Club. L'pon the retirement of 
Sheriff James L. !Miles from Select Council. 
Mr. Rosenberg was elected his successor ; in 



I'ebruary. 1909, he was re-elected, the people 
demanding it, although he was opposed se- 
cretly by the city leader. Senator Mc.Vichol. 
Me is a member of important committees of 
City Councils, including that of Surveys, 
Street Cleaning, Steam Railroad'^, and Health 
and Charities. 



Samuel Bass Rambo 

Samuel Bass Ranibo was born in Elkton. 
Cecil County. Maryland, October 21, 1863. 
lie received bis jiriinary education in the pub- 




lic schools of his native counly. that of Wil- 
mington. Del. He subsequently served an 
apprenticeship at carpentering, and then rc- 
mf)ved to Philadelphia. In 1884 he entered 
the employ of the late George F. Payne, the 
famous builder and contractor, as a carpenter, 
in which occupation he was advanced to a 
foremanship. having showed such proficiency 
in his chosen line of trade that he was sub- 
sequently appointed by that firm as superin- 
tendent of instruction, in which capacity he 
supervised the building of the splendid new 
capitol at Harrisburg. His ability in this 
direction was readily recognized by the State 
government, and he was appointed to the im- 
portant position of Superintendent of Public 
Grounds and Buildings by Governor Stuart 
on February 12. 1907. 



104 



I'ciuisyli'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



Col. John W. Frazier 

John W. Frazier has been an interest- 
ing and unique actor in the poHtical drama 
in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, and even 
in the nation for a quarter of a century or 




more, as well as a conspicuous factor of the 
Grand Army of the Republic. ^^'hile he 
never blazed the path of political leadership, 
he has been the confidant and advisor of the 
great party chieftains, and his advice and 
suggestions have been followed in moulding 
political policies and in the selection of can- 
didates for high office. He has been consulted 
by Presidents of the United States as to the 
political affairs of his native State, and it 
may be said of him that few men in humble 
life have exercised more influence in making 
presidents, governors, judges, and other high 
officials. Xo man worked harder to enable 
John Sherman to attain that ambition of his 
life, the chief executiveship of the Nation. 
It was through Colonel Frazier that the sug- 
gestion came to Senator Quay to nominate 
the latter's kinsman, Samuel \V. Penn^-packer, 
for Governor. It would require a volume to 
record his exploits in the domain of politics. 
Colonel Frazier was born in Upper Darby, 
Delaware County, January 5, 1837. In the 
turbulent year of 1844 in Philadelphia, 
marked by religious riots, his father moved 
to that city, remaining there about a year, 
during which time voung- Frazier attended 



the public school at Second and Reed Streets, 
of which "Pop" Crozier was principal. At 
the outbreak of the Civil War he enlisted as 
Sergeant of Company "'C," of the celebrated 
California Regiment, afterward the 71st of 
the Pennsylvania line, and was discharged at 
Camp Observation, Poolesville, ^Maryland, 
October, i86l, by reason of disability result- 
ing from confluent small-pox; afterward 
enlisted in the 20th Regiment, Pennsylvania 
\'olunteers. serving until the expiration of 
his term of service. 

Colonel Frazier was a born politician, and 
in 1866 he had become a factor that enabled 
him to command the appointment of Assessor 
of Internal Revenue from President John- 
son, whose confidant he was. He thus served 
until 1869. He is now Registrar of the Bu- 
reau of Surveys of Philadelphia, and is 
secretary of a committee of seven comrades 
representing the Department of Pennsylvania 
for all soldiers, sailors, and marines who 
served ninety days or more in the Civil War, 
and who are seeking a pension from the State. 
His activity in Grand Army affairs has been 
second only to that in the domain of politics. 
Colonel Frazier is a Past Commander of 
Col. William L. Curry Post, G. A. R., is a 
Past blaster of Mount IMoriah Masonic 
Lodge, and is believed to be the only living 
member of the Masonic Order in Pennsyl- 
vania having a Masonic charity fund named 
in his honor. For more than twenty years 
Colonel Frazier was a highly esteemed corre- 
spondent of the Kew York Sun. 



Did the 1905 Plol Exist Before Hastings' 
Nomination? 

Senator Quay's memorable endless-chain 
speech, in which he sought to filibuster in the 
Senate and stave off the vote on the Gorman- 
\\'ilson Tariff' Bill, which was subsequenth' 
vetoed by President Cleveland in 1893, was 
suggested to and put into his head by me, 
although he never gave me any credit for it ; 
others did, however, who were present when 
I flung the idea at him. Thomas L. Hicks, 
afterward postmaster of Philadelphia, was 
visiting Washington, and, looking me up, 
made the request that I take him to Quay's 
house and introduce him. He explained that 
he had never met the Senator, and was anx- 
ious to make his acquaintance as he had some 
private business with him. 

Senator Quay's house was out Georgetown 
way. and we reached it about 9 o'clock. 

Mr. Hicks and the Senator had talked their 
matter over and the three of us had settled 
ourselves in the library when Chris. L. ^lagee 
and his man "Friday,'' the late George Von 
Bonhorst. were ushered in. 



Pcniisvk-ania and Its Public Men. 



105 



The party settled Jown to the cigars and a 
general conversation. The Wilson Tariff Bill 
was then before the Senate and occupying the 
attention of the country, fjuay gave it as his 
opinion that the bill would pass unless the 
vote could be delayed by filibustering. I then 
suggested that he could innnortalize himself 
by talking it to death. ".Make an endkss- 
chain speech," I suggested, "since you have a 
subject you could talk a year upon." 

Magee thought it a bright idea, and assured 
the Senator he could supply him from Pitts- 
burg with enough data to keep him going for 
a couple months, at least. 

General Hastings was then an active candi- 
date for the nomination for Governor, and was 
bringing all his influence to bear upon Quay 
to induce him to secretly write his name upon 
the slate. 

I had never taken any political stock in the 
"Hero of Johnstown." nor was I impressed 
with his ability, and I certainly distrusted his 
sincerity. In my readings of the characters 
of public men I have seldom erred, and I 
have marveled that men like Sam. Randall 
and Quay and Cleveland should have been so 
lacking in this gift, so essential to a command- 
ing politician or a political leader having pa- 
tronage to bestow. 

Hastings had the "front," but like nearly 
all men of herculean build, he was a coward 
at heart and a double-dealer. 

.\s we were discussing the gubernatorial 
situation at this gathering, I remarked to 
Quay that he would be committing the mis- 
take of his life if he was led into nominating 
Hastings, because, I continued, "he will sling 
you as certain as dogs have tails." 

My prediction was met with silence, and 
no one attempted to dispute or answer it. 
Soon after we bade Quay good-night, and 
as the moon was shining and the air balmv. 
the four of us, Magee, \'on Bonhorst, Hicks, 
and myself strolled down to the hotel district. 

Magee and I walked together and soon he 
blurted out : "What the devil arc you doing 
putting that nonsense into old Quay's head 
about Hastings?" 

"I don't want to see the old man roped in 
by a three-card nionte man.'' I replied. 

"Well, if you are a friend of mine, and I 
think that you are. just stop putting bugs into 
his ear about Hastings. He is all right, and 
I want to see him nominated." 

Nevertheless I continued to advise Quay 
against Hastings, and was joined by his pri- 
vate secretary, Frank Willing Leach, who 
also had premonition that Hastings was de- 
ceiving Quay. 

I have often wondered from this rebuke 
that Magee administered to me if the plot of 
1895 to destroy Quay and usurp his throne 



was not concocted before Hastings was nomi- 
nated for governor, and the plans laid to cap- 
ture his organization. 

I am strengthened in the belief that such 
a plot existed by another incident in which 
I ha|)pened to figure. 

Senator Quay was ultimately committed to 
the cause of Hastings, although not enthu- 
siastically so. He had Hastings' written 
pledge that he "woulrl oijey," and it was locked 
in the safe. I went from Washington to the 
State convention at Harrisburg in 11^94. and 
had for a traveling companion Congressman 
Henry D. McCormick, of \\'illiamsport. 
Great floods were on and the rivers swollen. 
Our train was the last to get through into 
Harrisburg. Hastings appeared to be asso- 
ciated with floods. 

I returned to Washington that night, our 
train taking another route to avoid the Sus- 
quehanna, and Congressman McCormick was 
again my traveling mate. 

While we were eating dinner in the dining- 
car, he drew from his pocket a manuscript 
which he requested me to read. I found mj'- 
self perusing a speech which was an accept- 
ance of the nomination for governor at the 
hands of the Republican State convention 
we had just left. 

I looked in wonderment at Governor Hast- 
ings' future attorney-general for an explana- 
tion, when he said : "That is the speech I 
would have made if I had been nominated 
for (lovernor. It was Quay's idea that if his 
plans as to Hastings failed and the conven- 
tion baulked, that he was to throw his 
strength, assisted by Magee. to me, and I 
would have been nominated." 

"Ves, Quay told me to prepare this speech." 
added Mr. McCormick. laughingly, as he 
stored the manuscript away again. 

McCormick was one of the conspirators of 
1895, entering the cabinet of Hastings. Is it 
not fair to infer since Magee thus favored 
him for second choice, and so did Hastings, 
that Quay had been worked upon to so favor 
him, the idea being to catch the "old man" 
a-comin' and a-goin'? .\nd he is a dullard 
who cannot smell or detect a plot and a con- 
spiracy here. 

But Quay, foxy and deep as he was. never 
smelled a rat. He did have the manliness to 
admit that if he had taken the advice of 
I-each and myself, that he would never have 
got into the mess that he did. But that wasn't 
the only grievous and expensive mistake he 
committed. 



The Hon. George Handy Smith to Senator 
James Rutan. of Allegheny: "I never saw a 
Pittsburg bill that hadn't a snake in it." 



106 



Pcinisxlraiiia and Its Public Men. 



A. Lincoln Acker 

A. Lincoln Acker is an active liusiness man 
who has taken an active interest in the poli- 
tics of his native city. He hecame a resident 
of the Twenty-eighth \\'ar(l eleven years ago. 




anil he inmiediatcly fought his way to leader- 
ship of the sixth division. He defeated the 
old-time leaders. When the Twenty-eighth 
Ward was divided and the Thirtv-eighth 
Ward formed. Mr. Acker was proffered the 
nomination for Select Councilman, but de- 
clined. At the election which followed he, 
with Mayor Weaver, and other well-known 
workers, formed the Thirty-eighth Wartl Bus- 
iness Men's League and elected Hamilton W. 
Sherlock over John Hamilton, the regular 
Republican nominee. Mr. Acker was also 
active in the Walton-Berkerback Senatorial 
contest a few years ago, standing by Walton 
until the end of the exciting campaign. He 
was Director of Public Works under Mayor 
Weaver. 

Mr. Acker is the son of the Rev. and Mrs. 
Tames D. Acker, of Germantown, and was 
born in this city, February 26, 1865. After 
attending the public schools he entered the 
Central High School, graduating in i<S7g. He 
subsequently spent six months in the Brad- 
street's Commercial Agency, and then became 
?n assistant in the store of Finley Acker, his 
brother. Here he soon showed remarkable 



ability, and was promoted from one position 
to another until, when the Finley Acker Com- 
pany was incorporated, three years ago, he 
was made vice-president and general manager. 
He is one of three well-known brothers — 
the others being Finley and Durbian Acker. 
Mr. .Acker was married eleven years ago to 
Miss Emily Focht of this city. He is a mem- 
ber and Past ALister of Richard Vaux Lodge, 
No. 384, F. and A. N., and of Oriental Chap- 
ter No. 183, Royal Arch Masons. He is also 
a member of the Young Republican Club, 
which he joined seventeen years ago, and is 
a charter member of the Lincoln Republican 
Club of the Thirty-eighth Ward. He is rec- 
ognized as a man of great force and is a 
public spirited citizen. 



J. M. Gummey & Sons 

Philadelphia 

The firm of J. M. (jummey & Sons was 
established in Philadelphia over three decades 
ago, and is acknowledged to be one of the 
largest real estate brokerage houses of that 
city. 

This firm was founded in 1848 by John M. 
( iummey, who selected No. 8 South Seventh 
Street as the scene of his operations. In 1852 
James A. Gummey was taken into the firm. 
The business made such gigantic strides that 
the firm, in 1866, was compelled to take more 
pretentious quarters, removal being made to 
148 South Fourth Street. They subsequently 
moved to 590 Walnut Street. This was in 
i860, and that year signalized an innovation 
in the firm's business, when it began the sale 
of real estate at auction on the Philadelphia 
Exchange. In 1861 two other members of the 
family were taken into the firm, consisting of 
Henry R. and Charles F. Gummey. In 1862 
Charles A. Gummey withdrew from the firm, 
giving his entire attention to the practice of 
law. From 1867 to 1906 the offices of the com- 
pany remained at y22 Walnut Street. James 
F. Gtnnmey was admitted to the firm in 1895. 
and George S. Gummey in 1897. In 1898 
Charles R. Gummey died, and in 1905 Henry 
R. Gummey withdrew, as did George S. Gum- 
mey in 1899. In 1908 the firm celebrated 
the sixteenth anniversary of its establishment, 
and coincident to its celebration it was incor- 
porated. 

The firm now consists of James F. (jummey. 
President : Herman Hoopes, Archibald G. 
Thomson. John T. Taylor, and William Mac- 
donald, comprising the Board of Directors. 
The firm now occupies very large and com- 
modious offices at Broad and Walnut Streets, 
and has among its clients some of the largest 
and oldest property-owners in Philadelphia. 



Pciiiisxhaiiia ami fts Public Men. 



107 



Joseph F. Hasskarl 

Civil Engineer 

Toseph r-'. Hasskarl, Assistant Director of 
the Department of Wliarves, Docks aixl Fer 
rics of Philadelphia, has a hrilliant record a; 
a civil ensjineer. particularly in connection 




with marine work. He has had charge of 
many important operations while in the service 
of the Government. He is a native of Phila- 
delphia, the son of Rev. Dr. T. S. Hasskarl 
D.D.. I.L.D.. and horn in i.%3. He received 
his technical education at Elmhurst College, 
and in 18S3 began his professional career in 
the employ of the Chicago & Xorthwestern 
Railway, and in 1888 was connected with an 
exploring expedition to British Columbia. In 
1884-5 he entered the service of the (jovern- 
ment. and was employed on surveys in the Gulf 
of Mexico, and in the States of Texas, 
Louisiana and .\labania. In 1886-7 he was 
given charge of work on the Mississippi River 
and between 1888 and i8q3 he did surveying 
for the Pennsylvania Railroad, and also for 
the Government in the Delaware River, the 
Atlantic Coast and water fronts of Delaware 
and Maryland. Mr. Hasskarl was made Chief 
InsiK'ctor for the Government and placed in 
charge of Philadelphia harbor improvements, 
embracing the removal of Smith's and Wind 
Mills Islands, and a portion of Petty's Island, 
which was a great and important operation in- 



volving the removal of 21.600.000 cubic yards 
of material. His great success with this work 
caused him to be put in charge of the con- 
struction of the National Harbor of Refuge at 
the mouth of the Delaware Bay, and which 
look five years to complete, and in which l.- 
730.000 tons of stone were employed. In 1902 
Mr. Hasskarl also had entire direction of chan- 
nel imitrovements in the Delaware River, in 
which he constructed 43.000 lineal feet of bulk 
head and removed 50 ooa.ooo yards of dredge 
material. These brilliant achievements led 
Mayor Reyburn, in 1907, to select him for the 
practical head of the newly-created Depart- 
ment of Wharves, Docks and Ferries, and he 
assumed the office in .\ugust. He has pre- 
])ared plans for the construction of two 
mammoth modern piers and diri'ctcd the 
dredging of the Delaware front docks. In 
ic)o8 Mr. Hasskarl was commissioned by the 
Mayor to examine har'^or facilities and im- 
Dfovements abroad, and vi>;ited the ports of 
Italy. Germany, .'\ustria. Holland. Belgium. 
I'rance. England. Scotland and Ireland. 



The Vindication of Politicians 

Flu- I'.urchard eontretem])S and the Feast 
of P.elshazzer were the dramatic and lurid in- 
cidents of the Hlaine-Cleveland campaign of 
'84. The famous alliterative expression of the 
Re\-. Dr. I'.urchard. "kum. Romanism and Re- 
bellion." which he uttered in the course of an 
address to the ^Magnetic Man of Maine at a 
Xew N'ork hotel, in introducing, as their 
siKikesman. a delegation of Presbyterian di- 
vines, is said to have changed enoueh votes 
in the Empire Stale to land Mr. Cleveland 
the winner of the Crrand Prix. 

The I-'east of the Millionaires, with the great 
Carnegie of Homestead and Cluny Castle at 
their head, given in honor of Mr. Blaine, the 
reputed father of Reciprocity, or Free Trade 
with a mask on it, at Delmonico's, and which 
has passed into political history as the "Feast 
of Belshazzer," is claimed to have offended 
enough of the bourgeois, who conceived it to 
be a mortal political sin for a candidate for 
the Presidency of the United States to dine 
with a company of plutocrats and tariff barons, 
to have caused Mr. Blaine "to swing corners" 
with Mr. Cleveland, insuring the latter's elec- 
tion. 

I have never believed that either of these 
incidents, which thou.ghtless men looselv style 
as having lost for Mr. Blaine and won for Mr. 
Cleveland, contributed one per cent, of the in- 
fluence in the direction of vote changing as 
has been ascribed to them. 

Overhaul your own experience and you will 
be surprised how few are the cases you can 



108 



Pciinsxl'-c'onia and lis Public Men. 



recollect where voters have reversed their 
votes through the influence of some coup or 
"last card" that has been sprung. 

There are exceptions to every rule, of course, 
and there have been instances wherein the posi- 
tion I am taking has not applied. There is 
one I can readily recall. A few years ago there 
was a powerful Repvdjlican leader in Philadel- 
phia by the name of Ell. Rowan. He was a 
member of the Pilgrim Ring that then gov- 
erned that city, and which robbed with a brazen 
effrontery that was worthy of the exploits of 
Bill Tweed and his New York gang. 

Rowan's special field in the operations of 
the Ring was to put the Ring's jobs through 
the City Councils, of which he was a member 
and its recognized leader. He was ambitious 
of filling the role of hangman for the town — 
that is to say, he wanted to be Sheriff, contend- 
ing that the party and the Ring owed it to 
him for services rendered. 

He was given the nomination. The gales of 
reform which subsequently devastated the 
Ring, and which were augmented by the Com- 
mittee of One Hundred, had not yet begim to 
sigh in the tree tops or to whistle through the 
streets. 

In those days a candidate was obliged to 
make a bar-room canvass, and Rowan, in order 
to show that he had dropped in and paid his 
score to a saloon, had a fancy whisky bottle 
with his portrait pasted on it placed behind the 
bar. A Sunday paper, wliich Rowan didn't 
conceive to be worth subsidizing, printed a fac- 
simile of the Rowan rum bottle, and then 
roasted him for the remainder of the cam- 
paign. 

It was asserted that this attack of the paper 
defeated this man. I do not believe it. 

Some years later Rowan got the notion that 
he ought to be vindicated. He was a bold man, 
and in the teeth of a sixty miles an hour re- 
form gale secured the nomination for Sheriff 
and stood to win. .\n indiscreet member of the 
Committee of One Hundred, one of the pure, 
proud aristocrats of that body, in the course 
of an attack upon the bold Rowan, alluded to 
him sneeringly as "only a paper hanger." The 
next day the bill boards and dead walls, as well 
as the advertising columns of the newspapers, 
were smeared with the expression, "only a 
paper hanger," and then followed an explana- 
tion of the words and an appeal to the common 
people to stand by the poor paper hanger. 

I do believe that Rowan owed his election 
to that incident, since before the "bad break" 
was made the town had had it in for him, and 
he would undoubtedlv have got it at the polls. 



P. F. Rothermel, Jr. 

The bar is so ably represented bv men who 
have had a national and international repu- 
tation that it behooves us to have some refer- 




Tom Reed wrote, "A statesman is a success- 
ful politician who is dead." 



ence to the men who are its prune factors. In 
this connection we have to refer to the sub- 
ject of this sketch, Mr. P. F. Rothermel, Jr., 
who was born in Philadelphia, September 27. 
1850. and is the son of the renowned painter 
of the same name, whose painting of the 
Battle of Gettysburg added greatly to his 
fame. The father's art studies have taken 
him to many European countries, and young 
Rothermel was partly educated abroad, but 
graduated from the Central High School in 
this city in 1867: subsequently he entered 
the law office, as a student, of the Hon. James 
T. ^litchell, who is now the Chief Justice of 
the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. 

Mr. Rothermel has been highly successful 
in his legal career, and he is counsel for 
many large corporations. He is a Repub- 
lican to the back-bone in politics, and in 1884 
was mentioned for the nomination of city 
solicitor, but he withdrew in favor of the 
Hon. Charles F. Warwick. He subsequently 
declined many proffers for public office, but in 
1898. at the solicitation of many of the public 
men, he consented to accept the nomination 
for district attorney, to which position he was 
subsequently elected by a large majority and. 



Pcinisxii-diiici and Its Public Men. 



109 



to his credit be it said, he filled the otTice for 
the I mire term with proficiency and ahiHty. 



Joseph M. Adams 

Joseph M. Adams is an active husincss man 
who has participated actively in politics. He 
is .-I •iplindid snecinien of the American type 




of the self-made man. As a successful man- 
ufacturer he is widely known, and his social 
qualities make him a prime favorite in many 
circles. In the social, political, and Church 
life of Manayunk, he has been for years a 
force and a factor. Possessing qualifications 
for the leadership of men, he has been a 
leader and likewise a unit in the wonderful 
organization of the Republican party that has 
controlled the city of Philadelphia since the 
Civil War. 

Mr. Adams comes from good, old Celtic 
stock. He was born in the North of Ireland 
in 1850, and was brought to America by his 
parents when three years old, they immi- 
grating like thousands of others to better their 
condition. His parents made the voyage in 
a fast-sailing clipper ship which did the ocean 
carrying at that period, and landed in Phila- 
delphia, which was selected for their future 
home. What education he received was ob- 
tained in the pitblic schools, but family neces- 



sities required him to quit his school books 
and to seek employment, and then his battle 
with the world began. He was engaged in 
various pursuits up to 1880, when, by reason 
of his thrift and savings he was able to em- 
bark in business on his own account. He 
became the owner r)f llie well-known Arcolo 
Mills of Manayunk, and moving to that sec- 
tion, has since made it his home. Under his 
skillful management the .Arcolo Mills have 
been conducted with marked success. He is 
an extensive manufacturer of woolen yarns, 
making a specialty of carpet packing and rug 
yarn, and has gain,<l an enviable reputation 
in the trade where his products are in con- 
stant demand. 

Upon becoming a voter he identified himself 
with the Republican party. Upon the death 
of Tosial Yeakel in 1890, Mr. Adams as- 
sumed his place as the Republican leader of 
the Twenty-first Ward, retaining it until 
1906 when, by reason of the position he took 
in Select Council on behalf of good govern- 
ment, he was forced by the leaders, w-ho were 
defeated by the popular uprising of the people 
in 1905, but who were restored to power 
through the election of Mayor Reyburn, to 
retire. 

Mr. Adams was elected to Common Council 
in 1889, and. serving one term, w-as advanced 
to Select Council in 1891. He was remark- 
ably successful in obtaining from the coun- 
cils appropriations for ward improvements. 
He secured $250,000 for bridges across 
Walnut Lane, and $40,000 at Allen's Lane. 
Through his energy miles of streets in the 
Twenty-first Ward were paved with asphal- 
tum and lighted. His efforts for the public 
schools through additions to them, and alto- 
gether he was the most popular and suc- 
cessful councilman the ward has ever had. 
He was a delegate to the national convention 
at Chicago in 1904 that nominated President 
Roosevelt, and has sat in several Republican 
.State conventions. He is a member of the 
Manufacturers' Club and of Harmony Chap- 
ter. Mary Commandery, K. T.. and of the 
Lu Lu Temple. 



Sheriff Wesley Guffey, of Pittsburg, thus 
gave his judgment upon the Pennsylvania 
Legislature of 1899: "The more I think of 
it the more am I filled with wonder that it 
was possible to gather so many damned fools 
under one roof." 



"There was a Cameron Ca.stle fell yester- 
day.'" remarked M. S. Quay, to a friend in 
Philadelphia the day after he was elected 
State Treasurer in 1886, 



no 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



William S. Smith 

Meadville 

William S. Smith was a new figure in the 
House of Representatives from Crawford 
County at the session of looo. By profession 



a member of the Board of Trustees of Alle- 
gheny College, connected with a number of 
corporations in his native town, as well as 
being a member of a number of secret orders. 




he is a lawyer, having quite an extensive prac- 
tice in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. He 
was born at Aberdeen, Scotland, May 8. 1864, 
came to the United States in 1870, and with 
his family settled in Venango County, Penn- 
sylvania. Early education was acquired in 
the public schools and high schools of Ve- 
nango County ; subsequently entered the Uni- 
versity of Michigan in the Law Department. 
His legal education was acquired in the Uni- 
versity of Michigan and in the offices of the 
Hon. C. George Olmstead of Corry, and Hon. 
A. G. Richmond of Meadville. Is a member 
of the bar of Crawford County, of the Su- 
preme and Superior Courts of Pennsylvania 
and the several Federal Courts therein. Also 
of the Supreme Court of the State of West 
Virginia and of the Federal Courts therein. 
Has been identified with the Republican 
party since his majority. In 1893 was elected 
Register of Wills of Crawford County, serv- 
ing two terms. In 1905 and 1906 was Chair- 
man of the Republican County Committee 
of Crawford County. Has been delegate to 
State conventions several times, and has al- 
ways taken an active interest in politics. Is 



James A. Flathery 

Philadelphia Lawyer 

Tames A. Flathery, a prominent lawyer, is 
one of the best known Catholic members of 
the local bar, and he has distinguished him- 
self not only in local circles, but through his 
prominence and activity in Catholic societies 
in the Quaker City. Born in Philadelphia on 
July 3, 1853, his early education was received 
at the public and parochial schools of that city, 
while his legal education was acquired through 
study in the office of the late Col. William I?. 
Mann and attendance at the law course of 
the University of Pennsylvania. He was ad- 
mitted to the bar in 1874, and he has devoted 
himself particularly to general practice, and 
makes a specialty of Orphans' Court work 
and settlement of estates, in both of which 




branches he has been eminently successful. 
He has always been prominently identified 
with Catholic affairs. He is now Deputy Su- 
preme Knight in the Knights of Columbus 
and Vice-President of the American Society 
for Visiting Catholic Prisoners. 



fcniisyl-rniiiii and Its I'lihlic Men. 



Ill 



Joseph H. Cofrode 

Engineer and Constructor 

Joseph H. Cofrode, of Philadelphia, is a 
man who lias figured conspicuously in the de- 
velopment of great railroad lines and the con- 
struction (if ini|)()rtant liuildings, while the 




name of his firm and its fame were known 
throughout the United States and beyond the 
seas. lie bears the strains of an admixture 
of German, English, and Irish h'.ood. and was 
horn in N'ork Comity, Pennsylvania, February 
28, 1838, his father being an iron moulder. 
His schooling was confined to three months 
each year in the district school until he was 
14 years old, when lie was apprenticed to 
an undertaker and cabinetmaker in the town 
of Dauphin on the Susriuehanna River. This 
trade he mastered, but was not destined to 
pursue it. When the Xorthcrn Central Rail- 
road was projected in 1857, young Cofrode 
obtained employment in the construction of 
bridges. Me ])ossessed a mechanical and con- 
structive mind, with the cajjacity of accom- 
plishing great undertakings. Me educated 
himself in engineering and the details of prac- 
tical bridge construction. 

L'pon the breaking out of the Civil War in 
1861, he ofifered his services to the Govern- 
ment, and. going to Washington, was em- 
ployed on fortification work and the main- 
tenance of army roads and bridges in the Dis- 
trict of Columbia and in Marvland and \'ir- 



ginia. lie remained with the War Depart- 
nient until 1863, when he was placed in 
charge (if the construction of bridges for the 
Philadel|)hia and Eric Railway. This road 
had been built as far West as Lock Haven, 
when the war stopjjctl the enterprise, but in 
the year in c|ucstion the Pennsylvania Rail- 
road became interested in it. and resuming 
the work, completed the road to its destina- 
tion at Eric. Mr. Cofrode had supervision 
of the erection of all the bridges between the 
West P>ranch of the Susfjuehanna to the .\lle- 
gheny River. 

The contracting firm by wlKini he was em- 
ployed was Stone, 'Juigley. and liurton, and 
lie remained with them until it was dissolved 
in 1865. 

in 186S. in Cdujunciion with I'rancis 11. 
Saylor. he established the great plant at I'otts- 
ville, ineor])orating it as the firm of Cofrode 
..K; Saylor. In addition to the works at Potts- 
ville the firm built a large rolling mill at 
Reading. The business included the construc- 
lion of piers, aipieducts and bridges, the 
building of railroads and the manufacture of 
structural iron and slecl for inii)ortant build- 
ing oiK-rations. The firm enjoyed an enviable 
distinction, and was a rival to the great plants 
'>! the I'iltsburg district, the pay-roll reach- 
ing $225,000 per tnontli. and carried the names 
of 6000 employees. .\ review of some of the 
^reat operations of the firm will jjrove of 
iiUerest. and which had the personal super- 
\isi()n of Mr. Cofrode, who was the ijractical 
man. 

I'(ir the Ccnteimial year llie liig station was 
built for the Pennsylvania Railroad at 
Thirty-second and Market Streets, compris- 
ing two innnense train sheds with waiting 
rooms and offices. The Pennsylvania Station 
was also erected on the Cententiial grounds. 
The firm also built a inmiber of the Exposi- 
tion Iniildings. including that for the Japa- 
nese Government. So rapidly was this work 
performed and so pleasing was it to the Jajia- 
nese authorities, that Cofrode & Saylor's 
rei)Utation became known to the Mikado, and 
they were invited to bid upon the rails and 
the bridge work for the first Inmdred miles of 
the first steam railway ever built in lapan, 
the materials being laid down in Yokohama. 
This contract gave the firm a world-wide 
reputation, and caused much envy on the part 
of the ]'"nglish. 

The firm subsequently contracted for a 
number of bridges for railroads in the moun- 
tainous regions of Peru. It also constructed 
and erected every bridge on the Round Brook 
Railroad between Jenkintown and the connec- 
tion with the Central Railroad of Xew Jersey. 
These were followed by bridges for the Pitts- 
burg and I.ake Erie Railroad, which included 



112 



I'ciuisylvania and Its Public Men. 



one across the Ohio River with a main span 
of 450 feet, and another hridge over the Mon- 
ongahela, at Pittsburg, 6000 feet hmg. 

The greatest contract undertaken by the 
firm within a limit of time was the erection 
of the Central Stores at Thirty-second Street 
and Eleventh Avenue, New York, a seven- 
story structure, 750 feet long. This required 
17.000,000 Ijricks, 6,000,000 feet of lumber, 
4000 tons of iron work, and 40,000 cubic feet 
of granite capstones. It was paid for in twelve 
monthly installments, completed within con- 
tract time, and is to-day the largest public store- 
house in America. A record-breaking ship- 
ment of structural iron was furnished for the 
machinery hall of the Chicago World's Fair, 
aggregating 12,000,000 pounds of iron, and all 
delivered within three months. When the 
great depot of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 
Jersey City was burned, the firm contracted 
to replace the structure, much enlarged, 
within sixty days, subject to a penalty of 
$100 per day over the limit. A bonus of 
$1000 was obtained for its early completion, 
ten days ahead of contract time. Then, when 
the Johnstown flood came, four bridges were 
erected on the main line of the Pennsylvania 
Railroad, on rush orders, and premiimis ob- 
tained. The firm built that portion of the 
Filbert Street Elevated structure from Sev- 
enteenth Street to the depot, and three stories 
of the Broad Street Station. 

Another big job was the superstructure for 
the Market Street Bridge in Philadelphia. 
Up to 1896, when the firm went out of busi- 
ness, Mr. Cofrode was the senior member. 
For fifty years he was engaged in the con- 
struction and the erection of large public and 
corporation works, and his achievements 
stamp him as a remarkable man, whose monu- 
ments will live after him. In i8g8 Mr. 
Cofrode was appointed by Mayor Warwick 
to the position of superintendent of the city 
bridges of Philadelphia, which he still occu- 
pies, the city being extremely fortunate in 
l^hus securing the services of a man so com- 
petent and of such widespread reputation. 



Experiences with Senator Don Cameron 
and Ben Buller 

\\'hcn I went to Washington as the cor- 
respondent of the Evening Bulletin, I having 
been stationed there previously for The North 
American, Senator Don Cameron was regarded 
by the newspaper boys, as an unapproachable 
and icily cold sort of a bogie man. He had 
quarreled with them at a New Year's re- 
ception at his Washington residence, and after 
that unfortunate event they had lost no oc- 
casion to roast him. The late Gibson Peacock. 



then the Editor of the Bulletin, wrote me a 
letter of introduction to Senator Cameron, 
but I stood in such mortal fear of him, and 
acquiring the prejudice against him, I never 
presented the document. One day the late 
Colonel Thomas Fitzgerald visited Washing- 
ton, and meeting him at the Rigg's House he 
desired me to accompany him in making some 
calls. Securing a barouche, we were driven 
around to Lafayette Square, and the vehicle 
stopped. 'Great God, Colonel," I said, "this is 
Senator Cameron's house. I can't go in there ! 
he will eat me up." I was finally induced to 
muzzle my fears and Col. Fitzgerald's card 
brought the answer that Senator Cameron was 
at home and would receive us. 

W'e were ushered into the library, where we 
found the Senator romping with his daughter, 
a little Miss by his second wife, who was a 
niece of the famous Shermans, of Ohio. I 
was introduced, and the Senator, instead of 
taking my head off said that he was glad to see 
me, that he had noticed my face in the Press 
gallery, and informed me that he had always 
had a liking for the Philadelphia Bulletin, from 
the fact that his- father had furnished much of 
the capital with which to start it. 

He inquired about Mr. Peacock and I, tak- 
ing heart, remarked that that gentleman had 
written me a letter of introduction to him. 
He asked me if I had the letter with me, 
whereupon I produced it. "Why," said he, 
"this letter is dated more than six weeks ago. 
How is it that you have not presented it 
before?" 

"To tell you the truth, Senator," I stam- 
mered, "I was afraid of you." Laughing, he 
said, "The newspaper gang has been telling 
you its stock yarns about me. Now, Mr. Hud- 
son," he continued, "I make it an iron-clad 
rule, never to be interviewed by the news- 
papers, but when you want to know anything, 
come to me, and if I can't give it to you 
nivself, I will send you where you can get it. 
And, by the way, did you know that General 
Butler appeared before the House Committee 
on Connnerce to-day, and made an argument 
for a Congressional investigation of the Stand- 
ard Oil Company? It is the biggest piece of 
news that has happened in Washington for 
months, and I don't thuik any newspaper man 
has got it. Go and ask Gen. Butler's permis- 
sion to copy his brief and tell him that I sent 
you." 

This was my introduction to Senator Cam- 
eron. I may add, I have been a Don Cameron 
man ever since. I never hesitated to apply to 
him thereafter for news, and invariably got it. 
Now, General Butler was another public man 
in W^ashingion, who was both feared and hated 
by newspaper men. and even more so than 
Don Cameron. He had been the target of 



f'ciiiisvlz'aiiia ami Its /'iiblic Men. 



113 



much abuse, and the butt of so much wit by 
the press of the country, that he was naturally 
soured, and when in Washington at tliis per- 
iod, he was approachable only by a New ^'ork 
Sun man, that paper having supported him 
in his ill-starred campaign for I'resident. 

But the kindly reception I had received 
from Senator Cameron emboldened me to 
even think of bearding the monster, Ben But- 
ler, in his lair. In the evening, I met a lot of 
the newspaper boys in the barroom of W'il- 
lard"s Hotel, and to them I announced that it 
was my intention to tackle Ben Butler for a 
bit of news. This exhibition of bravery on 
my part created the greatest consternation, 
and I was immediately given up for a dead 
man. I was invited to take a last drink, and 
then they made it several last drinks. They 
marched around me whistling the dead march, 
and one of them thrust a revolver into my 
pocket. As I departed on my errand, hand- 
kerchiefs were produced, crocodile tears shed, 
and the final "adjues" were particularly af- 
fecting. 

Every body who has ever visited Washing- 
ton has, of cour.se, had pointed out to them on 
Capitol Hill, Ben Butler's .grim, gray stone 
castle, which, at that time, he was occupying 
as a private residence, selling it later to the 
Government. A two-story brick structure, or 
annex, was the Generals law den. and there 
I went, finding him hard at work, although 
it was long after office hours. My heart was 
in my mouth as I wrote upon my personal 
card, '"Senator Cameron suggests that you 
allow me to copy your brief in the Standard 
Oil investigation matter, for publication in 
the Philadelphia Biil'cliii." 

The card went in. while I examined tin 
outer office for any signs of the inferu.il 
machine which Butler was reputed to keeji 
and with which. I had been told, he killeil 
newspaper men who sought news from him. 
.\ few minutes later, I was invited into the 
General's sanctum, and. trembling in every 
limb, I faced the music. The hero of the Dutch 
Gap Canal and the alleged despoiler of the 
spoons of the people of Xew Orleans, was 
seated at a desk dictating to three stenog- 
raphers, a feat that I had never seen performed 
before. He spoke to me pleasantly, instructed 
a clerk to give me the brief, seat me at a 
desk, and furnish me with a cigar. I copied 
the document, which was a terrible arraign- 
ment of the -Standard Oil monoply. the bulk 
of it relating to Pennsylvania, where the 
Standard operate<l, and enhancing its value as 
home news. 

When I returned to the newspaper gang 

down-town, I was received as one who ha<l 

come back from the .silent tomb, but they 

pumped me in vain for the news I had screwed 

8 



out of Ben Butler. I mailed my copy on the 
midnight train, and the next afternoon had 
the distinction of scooping every pa])er in 
the United States, manv of them being obliged 
to reprint it from the Bulletin. 



I. Irwin Jackson 

Philadelphia Lawyer 



1. Irwiu Jackson, the ])rominent aiiorney-at- 
law. whose offices are located at 1005-1006 
Real Instate Trust Building, is. in all respects. 




a self-made man. He was born on Novem- 
ber 23. 1S76. in Xew York City, and is self- 
educated, thereby owing allegiance to no 
school or college. As the result of his studi- 
ous nature he was admitted to practice in 
March, 1900. since which time his success 
has been most rapid. He is a law associate 
of the Hon. John C. Grady, and is I'resident 
of the I'inance Building .\ssociation. besides 
being solicitor for a number of other build- 
ing associations. .Among the honors which 
have been tendered him is that of Worship- 
ful Master of Rising Star Lodge, Xo. 126, 
Free and .\ccepted NIasons, and he also held 
membershij) on the Xaval Conmiittee of 
I'ounders' Week. His association of the legal 
fraternity is on a par with the high esteem 
in which he is held by the business public. 



114 



Pcnitsvl-rania aiuf fls Public Mc]i. 




Hon. William S. Vare 

Recorder of Deeds. Philadelphia 



\\'illiam S. X'are, representing also his 
bnither, Edwin H. in eonibination with James 
P. McNichol are now, in 1909, the acknowl- 
edged leaders and masters of the Repnblican 
organization of Philadelphia. This has come 
to them throngh the restoration of the or- 
ganization to power after the revolution of 
1905 and the breakdown of the health and 
absence from the city of Israel W. Durham, 
the former popular leader. I\Ir. Vare is one of 
three conspicuous brothers, one of whom 
George A. died in 1908 while member of 
the State Senate of Pennsylvania. Prior to his 
death the three Vare brothers constituted a 
unique and powerful combination in the poli- 
tical and the contracting world of the city. 
In no other citv in the world ha\c three 



brothers thus united clinilied to prominence, 
power and wealth. Their entwined success 
furnishes an unprecedented romance of .'Ameri- 
can life and color and politics. Since the 
death of the Senator the power and influence 
of the remaining brothers has increased as 
their political and contracting scope has wid- 
ened. 

^^'iIlianl S. but two years ago passed the 
fortieth mile stone. He is the son of a 
truck farmer, Augustus, who tilled fruitful 
acres in the section known as "the Neck." He 
attended the public schools until fourteen and 
doing the chores on the farm. Having been 
promoted to the last year in the First Ward 
Grammar School, he concluded that it was 
time for him to beoin to look out for him- 



/'cuiisyhraiiia and Its I'lthlic Men. 



115 



self and earn liis own living. Willi his school 
hooks under his arm he applied to the largest 
department store in the city and asked to he 
taken on as an errand hoy. His personal ap- 
pearance and natural hrightness quickly got 
liim the joh. I-'or two years he served as casli 
hoy when he was promoted and given a place 
in the auditing department. I'iiially liecoming 
restless at having another man for a master 
and fired with an ambition to strike out in 
business lines for himself he quit the big store 
and going back to the farm for a while made 
arrangements to open a store for the sale of 
oil with capital saved from his earnings, lie 
had not then attained his majority. The oil 
business did not seem to thrive and was not 
as exciting as he wished and dropping it Mr. 
\'are embarked in the wholesale produce 
business in which his talents had a larger and 
more congenial play. The produce business 
prospered as he sold the truck that was raised 
on his father's farm as well as those of his 
neighbors as everybody down in the "'Xeck " 
knew and liked the \'arcs. 

In the meantime the \'are brothers had be- 
gun to dip into politics in the old First Ward 
which was their domain. "Mart" Slack was 
then the recognized Republican leader and a 
lieutenant of James McManes. the old Gas 
Trust Boss, and a shrewd and ever wakeful 
political manipulator not overburdened with 
scruples. The Democrats were alive and many 
under the cajitaincy of the late Robert S. 
Patterson and the Republican majorities had 
to be fought and connived for. .Slaciv was 
(piick to recognize the political rising of the 
\'are boys and considered it sound policy to 
take them into camp. He tendered George 
.\.. the younger, the nomination for the Legis- 
lature which he accepted and was elected. 
His election established the \'ares as political 
factors, and to be reckoned with in the future. 
The brothers had in the meanwhile abandoned 
the produce business and set up as contractors 
for street and sewer work for the city and 
private clients and thev prospered amazingly. 
The war within the Republican partv of the 
State in 1893 gave to the X'ares a wedge with 
which to overthrow the old leadership of 
Slack, who foolishly senarated from Senator 
Quay and Durham, his Philadeliihia lieutenant, 
siding with Quay's enemies who were mar- 
shalled by Governor Hastings, Chris. Magec. 
and John P. Elkin in the State and David 
Martin, Charles .\. Porter and David H. Lane, 
in Philadelphia. A practical demonstration 
of the strength represented even then by the 
\'ares was given in the famous turn down 
of Boies Penrose for Mayor on the eve of the 
nominating convention. The corporation in- 
fluence headed by the Pennsylvania Railroad 



and the Traction Company caused ( harles I'". 
Warwick's name to be substituted on the slate 
and David Martin and Charles .\. Porter were 
the field marshals to put the scheme through. 
Durham still stood by IVnrose, and the X'ares 
stood with him and going through the ward se- 
cured seventeen of the forty-five <lelegates for 
Penrose. Then ensued a death struggle be- 
tween the combination of the \ are brothers 
and .Slack precijiitated l)y the State wide re- 
bellion to overthrow 'Juay as state chairman 
for 1). 1'". (iilkeson of Bucks. The contest 
hingeil on the control of the State delegates 
and it resulted in a draw, each side carrying 
twenty-six divisions. .\ contest was carried 
to the state convention and the delegates of 
each side given half a vote each. Determined 
to end the rule of Slack the \arcs then ran 
a councilmanic ticket in opposition to that 
named bv Slack and it was elected by a safe 
majority. Thus witnessed the "i)assing" of 
.Slack and the establishment of the \'are dom- 
ination. 

The b'irst Ward was cut and the Thirty- 
ninth created from it. thus giving them an 
additional ward. The X'ares planned great and 
needed public im])rovements for the growing 
Southern section of the city and electric lights 
came, the streets were smooth paved, the great 
sewer on McKean street was constructed, the 
public squares beautified, better police and fire 
protection obtained, more City Hall jobs se- 
cured and the value of real estate was en- 
hanced. The .-Xbigail X'arc School, named 
after the mother of the family, a splendid 
stone structure came along and the .Xbigail 
X'are Memorial M. \i. Church directly across 
the street from the school arose. The clnircii 
was struggling with a debt of $lo.oo3 and this 
greatly grieved Mother X'are who once re- 
marked :"lf I had the money J woidd pay off 
that mortgage." ".Some day we will do it for 
vou," replied XXilliam S, X'are and he was true 
to his promise. He devoted his salary for the 
second year as Recorder of Deeds to the 
liquidation of this mortgage. It to<d< XX'illiaui 
S, X are some vears to bring into existence 
the South Philadeli)hia Manu.-ti 'I raining 
School, but it will stand for all lime a monu- 
ment to his persistence and inllnence. The 
entire expense connected with its brilliant 
opening and the great demonstration in its 
honor participated in by 10,000 school children 
in i)ara(le, together with the Patriotic ()r<lers 
and Grand .Xrniy veterans, was borne by Mr. 
X'are as were those of a sniendid banquet given 
at the Bellevne-Stratford Hotel at which Gov- 
ernor Stuart presided. 

In i8q6 Mr. X'are was appointed a Mer- 
cantile .Appraiser and elected President of the 
Board, lie ])lunged into the work with char- 



116 



rciinsxli'ajiia and Its I'liblic Men. 



acteristic energy and the collections nearly 
doubled. Me then was elected to Select Coun- 
cil and while a member urged the beautifying 
and extension of South Philadelphia which in- 
cluded the development of League Island Park, 
the League Island Boulevard, the removal of 
grade crossings, the reclamation of the low- 
lands, the construction of piers and the comple- 
tion of the Passvunk avenue bridge over the 
Schuylkill. Removing to the 26th ward and 
erecting a fine residence on South Broad street, 
he assumed the Republican leadership of the 
ward and added it to the string of Vare con- 
trolled wards. In 1902 he resigned his seat 
in Select Council and was elected Recorder of 
Deeds. The business of the office was con- 
ducted so slovenK- and was so far in arrears 
that it required six months to get a deed 
through. It now takes six days. Mr. \'are 
has been twice re-elected and his term w-ill ex- 
pire in 191 1. He has been most persistently 
and conspicuously mentioned for Mayor in 
which direction his ambition lies. Recorder 
Vare materially assisted in the rehabilitation 
of the Republican party of Philadelphia after 
its disastrous defeat by the reform City party 
in 1905. throwing all his energies and financial 
resources for the preservation of its lines. 

He has employed diplomacy and skill to 
obviate a factional war within the party con- 
sequent upon the readjustment of its lines 
after its return to power in 1906. Mr. Vare 
is widely known for his benevolence and the 
liberality with which he entertains those who 
are interested in his political fortunes and the 
attaches of the Recorder's office. 

Leading a cleanly life and keeping every 
obligations, political or private, he has a repu- 
tation as a man of honor and no ■ citizen in 
South Philadelphia is more popular or more 
esteemed. 



During the early days of Mayor Ashbridge's 
administration, he sent for Magistrate Harry 
Fletcher to call at his office, and when there 
demanded that he turn in to make Col. Sam 
Towne the Select Councilman from the 
Twenty-eighth Ward. 

"I'll see you at the bottom of the sea first," 
was the answer of Fletcher. 

"Then I'll make you eat hay," was the angry 
retort of the mayor. 

The next morning Magistrate Fletcher was 
sitting in his office on Girard Avenue when 
a load of hay came along and the wagon 
broke down in front of the magisterial court. 

"Great (lod !" exclaimed Fletcher, as he 
looked out the window, "Sam Ashbridge is 
keeping his word. He has sent me the hay." 



David R. Griffith 

It will be just as idle for us to attempt to 
make a review of the prominent men of Penn- 
sylvania by leaving the subject of this sketch 
out, as it would be to put a volume of. this 
kind before the public without having it bound. 




ll appears to us that an iimiiiUKUon of 
David R. Griffith is unnecessary, because he 
is so well and favorably known, not only in 
the city whose interests in Common Coun- 
cil he has so well and admirably filled, but 
his ability as a lawyer is made manifest every- 
where. 

Born in the City of Philadelphia on Decem- 
ber 26, 1871, where he received his early edu- 
cation, he has done justice to his early training. 

He studied law under those able preceptors, 
Jacob .Snare, Esq., and the late William M. 
Meredith, Esq.. and upon being admitted to the 
bar. he immediately rose in the ranks of his 
profession, until to-day he is recognized as a 
leader. 

It is not the purpose of this volume to say 
other than what is fact, neither is it my pur- 
pose to write other than the truth about the 
men as I have known them. David Griffith is 
one of those gentlemen who has had courage 
enough to live up to his own convictions, and 
that, possibly, is the reason that he has served 
his ward in Common Council for four con- 
secutive terms. 



Pciiiisykviiici and Its I'liblic Men. 



117 



Timothy O'Leary 

Assislant Superintendent of Police 

Timothy O'Leary is probably one of the 
best known police officials of the L'nited 
States. His personal knowledjje of criminals, 
crooks, and the "under world" is marvellous. 




and although liis title i.-- .\>>i>laiil .Suiierin- 
tendent of Police, he is really at the head of 
the police establishment of Philadelphia. He 
was born in Philadelphia in 1861. his father, 
Timothy. Sr., and his mother, being natives 
of County Cork. Ireland, emigratinfj in 1846 
and coming over in the old packet ship "Tus- 
carora." His father engaged in the whole- 
sale and retail grocery business, and died in 
1900. and the mother in 1904. .After spend- 
ing some tiiTie in the public schools he se- 
lected printing for a trade and entered the 
composition room of the Day, a morning 
newspaper (which flourished some thirty 
years ago) as a galley boy. He then went 
with Howell Evans to learn job printing, and 
at the Centennial Exposition ran, as an ex- 
hibit, the first fast card press that was made 
in the world. He also worked on the Sunday 
Mercury and the Bcc as a compositor. Mr. 
O'Leary was of a venturesome and independ- 
ent disposition, and was imbued with a de- 
sire to see something of the world. He drifted 
down to South .Africa, working in the diamond 
fields until 1883. when he went to London, 
and thence to South .America and up the 



.Amazon River, where he engaged in shipping 
coffee and rice. He then returned to Phila- 
delphia, and on January 2, 181S4, enlisted in 
the L'nited States Regular .\rmy, and was 
sent to the Jefferson Barracks, and was finally 
assigned to K. Troop, Fourth Cavalry, sta- 
tioned at Fort W'ingate, Xew .Mexico. The 
Ute Indian campaign was then in progress, 
and Private O'Leary was soon engaged in 
skirmishes and battles with the red skins who 
were making war on the cattlemen. He was 
in a notable fight at Canyon Dashorne. .South- 
ern Colorado in April, 1884, in which twelve 
soldiers were killed. In the spring of 181S5 
(jeronimo and his .Apaches were on the war- 
path, and O'Leary's troop was on his trail 
until September, 1887, when the old rascal 
surrendered. He also participated in the cam- 
paign against the Chiricabuas band of Indians, 
a tribe of the .Apaches, numbering 750 braves, 
lie was in the fight with them at Devil's Can- 
yon, May 22(1, and pursued the fugitives with 
many thrilling experiences until their sur- 
render to General Crook in September. 18S5. 
.After an army .service of five years Mr. 
O'Leary was honorably discharged. He came 
back to Philadeli)hia, and in 1889 was ap- 
pointed as a patrolman in the police depart- 
ment. During the intervening years he served 
as a district "special," and finally was pro- 
moted to a central office detective. His ex- 
ploits in the line of his police profession 
would fill a volume. When John E. Reyburn 
became Mayor, in 1907. Mr. O'Leary was pro- 
moted to a responsible position in the office 
of Director of Public Safety, and was sub- 
se(|uently made .Assistant .'superintendent of 
police. He is a member of the Voung Repub- 
lican, the Leeds, and the Penrose Republican 
Clubs. Mr. O'Leary is noted for his bon- 
homie and Irish wit. and in the administration 
of his present office he has introduced many 
reforms and up-to-date innovations, placing 
the Philadeli)hia police upon a footing that 
will compare favorably with that of any 
.American citv. 



The governors of Pennsylvania since the 
War of the Rebellion have, with possibly two 
exceptions, been clean and free from scandal. 
.Some of them have exacted their toll for 
attaching their official signatures to jobs and 
corporation piracies, and there was one who 
was a gallant soldier in the L'nion .Army who 
made a business of selling pardons — this be- 
fore the Pardon P.oard was created. He 
operated through a broker, a well-known 
Philadelphia politician of the time — .Sam 
Josephs. In confidential political circles his 
grafting was known, but it never reached the 
proportions of a public scandal. 



UN 



Pennsylvania and Ifs Public Men. 



Hon. William A. Magee 

Mayor oi Grealer Pittsburg 

William A. ^lagee is a young man who has 
fought his way to political distinction and who 
may be said to inherit the i)olitical genius of 
a remarkable family which for nianv years has 




been identified with the politics and luaterial 
development of Western Pennsylvania, and 
particularly of the great Pittsburg district. 
The first ' representative of the family in 
America was Robert Magee, arriving in Pitts- 
burg from Ireland in 1780, and who became 
one of its early merchants. Mayor Magee's 
maternal grandfather was John S. Sees, emi- 
gating as a boy from Germany and settling in 
Canton, Ohio, in 1820. William A. Magee is 
the son of Edward S. and Elizabeth O. Magee. 
and was born in Pittsburg May 4, 1873. He 
graduated from the iron city's celebrated High 
School, and having aspirations for the law 
was appointed in 1892 as indictinent clerk in 
the District Attorney's office, and at the same 
time entering the law office of Robert S. 
Frazier, now Judge of the Allegheny Common 
Pleas. Plis admission to the bar came in iSqs. 
and he at once began to make rapid strides in 
his chosen profession. In 1847 he was pro- 
moted to the position of .Assistant District At- 
torney, which he held for two years, and which 
he was obliged to relinquish to devote all his 



time to his growing private practice. He had 
early identified himself with the Republican 
party, and in 1898 he was elected a member of 
the Common Council, a stepping stone to 
higher political preferment in Pittsburg. Re- 
elected in 1900, he resigned in 1901 to accept 
the nomination for the State Senate as the 
successor of his distinguished uncle, the Hon. 
Christopher L. Magee. .At the conclusion of 
his term he declined a renomination. his pur- 
pose being to retire from all political activities 
in order to build up his law business, and 
which resolve he religiously kept for several 
years. He was induced, however, by political 
conditions to again leap into the political sad- 
dle in 1907. Air. Magee then gave a practical 
demonstration of his political ability when he 
aspired for the Republican nomination of 
.Mayor, opposing the State and city organiza- 
tions. Allied against him were the largest 
Pittsburg corporations. He was defeated by 
.Alexander M. Jenkins, the machine candidate, 
by a majority so small that it gave Alagee a 
]]lace among the Republican leaders. He was 
a recognized factor in all political skirmishes, 
county and city, during the following two 
years, and finally secured control of the Re- 
publican City Coiumittee, of wdiich he was 
elected chairman. Undeterred by his defeat, 
he again became a candidate. 

He was opposed for the Republican nomina- 
tion for Mayor by ex-City Treasurer John F. 
Steel, and was nominated at the primary elec- 
tion on lamiary 23, 1909, receiving over 40,- 
000 votes, almost twice as many as his 
opponent. The Civic party placed in nomina- 
tion William H. Stevenson, a well-known 
leaguer. Because of Stevenson's record it was 
believed that he would give Magee an interest- 
ing fight, but at the general election Stevenson 
received only 16.000 votes, while Magee had 
over 40.000. The campaign detuonstrated be- 
yond doubt the ability of this voung man, 
vidiose speeches plainly revealed his wonderful 
knowled.ge of municipal affairs and ideas for 
municipal betterment. 

He became Mayor in April, and is in pos- 
session now of one of the greatest political 
organizations ever brought together in the his- 
tory of the city. He controls the City Coun- 
cils absolutely, and is the head of the Republi- 
can City and County Comtnittees. His ideas 
for the improvement of Pittsburg have the 
support of the organization. The first week 
he was Mayor indicated that he proposed to 
get busy, and give Pittsburg a prooressive 
administration. Aside from Mayor Magee's 
political activities and law practice, he is inter- 
ested in business enterprise^, many of which 
are in a formative period. He is attorney for 
the Lake Erie & Ohio River Ship Canal, is 
connected with a number of land and building 



Pcitnsyli'aiiia and Its I'lihlic Men. 



119 



companies, and counsel for several large west- 
ern mining corporations. 

Mr. Magee is as yet unmarried. He is a 
member of all the leading social and political 
clubs of Pittsburg, including the Du<|uesne. 
Country. Amcricus, Tariff and Colonial. 



How Rutan Adjourned the 
State Senate 

fames Rutan. like Quay, was born and bred 
in the "State of Beaver." Like Russell Errett 
he was horn of poor but honest parents, lie 
was a big boy and sitting up with the girls 
when Quay was still wearing ])inafores. They 
were both trained in the same political school 
and made and unmade overseers of the i)oor 
and township collectors, just as they after- 
ward made members of Congress and .gov- 
ernors of Pennsylvania. Rutan began polit- 
ical life by stealing empty boxes from the 
country stores to make election night bonfires 
but he never took one fellow's vote and gavt 
it to the other fellow, or worked a ballot box 
with a false bottom. There are a good man\ 
good stories about Rutan. Some years agi> 
when he was the president pro tcm of tl' 
State Senate, he was anxious one day to join 
a party of congenial sjiirits in a committee 
room who were deep in a game of draw 
poker. There wasn't much time so he de- 
termined to cut the proceedings off very 
short. After the chaplain had finished his 
$3 prayer, and the reading of the journal had 
been dispensed with, the Senate being pre- 
pared for business, Rutan. with a gentle 
whack of the gavel, said : "The .Senator from 
Pike, seconded by the Senator from Lycom- 
ing, moves that the Senate do now adjourn. 
.-\11 in favor of the motion say aye: those in 
the contrary say no. The motion has been car- 
ried and the Senate stands adjourned until 
ID o'clock to-niorrow morning." VVith a re- 
sounding crack of the gavel Rutan slid down 
from the president's chair and cpiickly disap- 
peared, to join his cronies in the committee 
room. Xow the meat of the story is this: 
The Senator from Pike was entirely oblivious 
of the scene that had so quickly transpired, 
being engrossed in his correspoTidence. and. 
of course, made no such motion to adjourn, 
while the Senator from Lycoming had his 
face buried in the folds of a newspaper and 
had not seconded the motion at all. Rutan 
had not waited for the Senators to vote and 
declared the motion carried without hearing 
a single aye or nay ! When the astonishe<l 
Senators realized the ludicrousness and ab- 
surdity of the scene that had just taken place, 
they couldn't suppress their merriment. 



Joseph R. Wilson 

Joseph R. Wilson, a prominent and active 
attorney-at-law, has had an interesting career 
as a lecturer and writer upon engineering sub- 
jects, and is n nicniber of the Philadelphia l):ir. 




lie lia> lliu> had a careLf in iuu pi uk-smuiis. 

Born in I1S66, he was for many years en- 
gaged in the civil engineering business with 
his father-in-law, the late Thomas Shawmont. 
During that time he lectured at important 
technical gatherings to engineers in this coun- 
try and in Canada, and at the same time pur- 
sued extensive researches and experiments. 

In lS9(S he abandoned his scientific work and 
took uj) the study of law, deciding to make this 
his future life work. He is a member of the 
Universitv Club, State Bar .Association. Phila- 
delphia Bar .Association. Trans-.\tlantic and 
Historical Society: a member of the Law 
.\lumni of the University of Pennsvlvania. and 
is a directing counsel of the 1 hiladelphia 
Rescue Home: also a member of the ^'acht- 
men's and Seaside Park ^'acht Club. He is 
(irand President of the .\cacia Fraternity, 
composed exclusively of club fraternity men 
who are Master Masons. He maintains large 
and commodious offices in the Conunonwealth 
Building. Twelfth and Chestnut Streets. 



Tom Plati, of Postmaster Clarkson : 
)ve him for the heads he has cut oft'.' 



"We 



120 



Pcinisxk'aiiia ami Its Public Men. 



Harry A. Mackey 

Philadelphia 

Harry A. jMacki.-y. athlete, lawyer, political 
leader and man of affairs, is a splendid ex- 
ample of the hustling American, the style 
that '"gets there." He was born in Susque- 




hanna County, rcnnsylvania, June 26, 1869. 
His father was a lawyer and successful busi- 
ness man who. outgrowing his environments, 
moved with his family, in 1896, to Bangor, 
the center of the great slate industry of 
Northampton County. He became identified 
with John I. Blair, the famous millionaire 
of New Jersey, and as his attorney and con- 
fidant in the slate region, helped to build 
the railroad which opened up and gave a 
market outlet to its great product. 

The younger Mackey graduated from the 
Scranton High School in 18,^4. being the win- 
ner of the mathematical prize. He was then 
enrolled as a student at the Keystone Acad- 
emy at Factoryville. Wyoming County, where 
upon graduation he was again a prize winner, 
being awarded the Leighton gold medal for 
competitive examination in Latin grammar. 
He was then prepared for Lafayette College, 
at Easton. and took the classical course, and 
as usual carried off a class honor, that of 
presentation orator upon graduation in i8go. 
While at Lafayette Mr. Mackey took an ac- 
tive part in collegiate sports, and excelled in 



the same as he did in his studies. He was 
elected captain of the foot-ball team which, 
under his direction, achieved many notable 
victories and gave the institution fame. 

Deciding to follow the profession of his 
father, with that end in view Mr. Mackey 
then entered the law school of the University 
of Pennsylvania. Inheriting an adaptability 
and natural fondness for the law, he took 
an advanced position in his class and, as al- 
ready remarked, as he did everywhere else. 
His fame at Lafayette had preceded him at 
the university, and he was added to the foot- 
ball team, and in 1893 became its captain. 
His exploits in the world of the pigskin are 
still the talk of the college sports of that 
period. Upon his graduation at the univer- 
sity Mr. Mackey entered the law offices of 
the Hon. William A. Porter, Judge of the 
Superior Court. He subsequently became 
connected with William Jay Turner, Presi- 
dent of the Lehigh and New England Rail- 
road Company, at 929 Chestnut Street. His 
abilities and business methods attracted, while 
here, the attention of Judge James Gay Gor- 
don, who invited him to a partnership with 
his firm. This was in 1898, the copartner- 
ship extending over a period of four years. 
He had now an assured and stable foothold 
in the great field of the law. with a reputation 
as a masterful preparer of his cases and a 
winning personality before judge and jury. 
He determined to branch out for himself and 
opened his own chambers, in T902, in the 
Penn Square Building on South Penn Square. 

Mr. Mackey is one of those peculiarly con- 
stituted men who invite the confidence of 
others, which marks the successful man at 
both the bar and in politics. From his voting 
age he has been an ardent Republican and 
has distinguished himself as a stump speaker 
and party orator. Mr. Mackey. it is safe to 
say, has the largest Jewish clientele through- 
out the city and State, and his name and 
reputation is such that it is safe to say that 
those contemplating a matter of adjudication 
and justice invariably seek his advice. 

His political training has been under mas- 
ters of that profession, as it might be termed, 
and for some years he has possessed the con- 
fidence and enjoyed intimate relations with 
the paramount political leaders. Mr. Mackey, 
while he has been independent in his party 
leaning, has always commanded the esteem, 
if not the fear, of his factional opponents. 
L^pon the creation of the Forty-sixth Ward 
he became the Republican organization leader, 
which entitled him to great credit, since the 
ward is the home of an extraordinary num- 
ber of political immigrants of other wards 
who are restive of control. At the municipal 
election in 1907, in order to restore harmony 



Pcinisxlraiiia ami Its I'ublic Men. 



121 



in the party ranks, Mr. Mackey consented to 
become a candidate for Common Council. 
He was endorsed by the Democrats and was 
elected by a flattering vote. An unusual en- 
dorsement was given him by his fellow- 
wardsmen in advance of the election, nearly 
the entire body of them signing an appeal 
for his election. 

Mr. ^lackey is thoroughly wedded to the 
material interest of his home ward, and his 
energy and watchfulness, together with the 
influence he wields in the party councils, are 
expected to result in an amazing development 
of it through public improvements. Mr. 
Mackcy is regarded as one of the rising young 
men of Philadelphia, and for whom the future 
is pregnant with promise and honors. 



Joe Nobre as the Boy Politician 

John Gallagher, who was the lightning pay- 
ing teller of the City Treasury, whom every- 
body knew and wdiom everybody loved, was 
sipping a McCreary punch (one part sugar, 
nine parts water), his favorite tipple, in 
Boothby's celebrated cafe one night some 
years ago. He was hemmed in on all sides. 
iike Paris at the siege of the Prussians, by 
city politicians, the men who held their own 
wards, and not only their own, but other fel- 
lows' wards, up by the tail. The man who 
shoveled out the "dollar of the tladdies" to our 
dear loves of school marnis, had not been 
playing leading parts on the amateur and pro- 
fessional stage since the close of the Mexican 
war without having learned the knack of tell- 
ing a story, and of telling it well. 

'"There is the Von Moltke of Philadelphia 
politics, Joe Xobre," said Gallagher, stirring 
the one-part sugar in the nine-parts water. 

"Of course, you all know him?" 

"Oh. yes, we all know him," was the chorus. 

"Well, when I used to run around the 
streets of old Southwark. in my gladsome boy- 
hood days, with a flag of truce streaming con- 
si)icuous!y from my rear and my nose a veri- 
table geyser spring, with whom do you su])- 
pose I played 'pussy' and 'craps' and 'duck on 
davy' and 'tick tack?' With whom do you 
suppose I slid on old Grimes' cellar door? 
With whom do you suppose I used to angle 
for sugar with a long stick and a rag on the 
end of it in the molasses hogsheads down on 
the sugar wharves? With whom do you sup- 
pose I used to run after the old 'Wickey' 
engine and steal rides on the bumpers of 
freight cars on Washington .\venue? And 
play marbles and hunky-dee and all the other 
games that boyhood flesh is heir to?'' 

"With Xobre." said Magistrate William 
Ahern for a venture. 

"Yes, gentlemen, with Xobre." 



"What kind of a boy was Xobre?" asked 
George McGowan. 

"Even when he wore short trousers and 
one suspender he was a politician,'' continued 
Gallagher, "Invariably he got the better of 
the gang of boys he used to travel with, and 
he had a reputation for shrewdness and in- 
genuity, and, like Bret Hart's \\h Sin,' he was 
known for ways that are dark aii<l for tricks 
that are vain." 

"He hasn't improved nnich with age," re- 
marked John Brady, the real estate assessor. 

"In those days guinea eggs were counted 
foul when it came to egg-pecking. That was 
because their shell was so much harder than 
an egg that cometh from the inside of a hen 
of the chicken variety. 

"Along toward Easter time the boys of 
my day got ready for pecking eggs, just as 
they do now. The rest of us use(l to do the 
square thing. We picked out the hardest 
chicken egg we could find from the farmers' 
wagons that used to stand on Second Street, 
and then dyed them. Xot so with Xobre. He 
had a better scheme than that ; I don't know 
what number this scheme of his was, but it 
was a winner. Joe u.setl to take guinea eggs, 
and if you know anything about eggs of that 
kind you will recall that nature has already 
marked them, and then have recourse to his 
bo.x of jKiints. With the ski 1 and the taste of a 
true artist. Xobre would dexterously paint 
his guinea egg so that its true character would 
be completely disguised, and. even to the sharp 
eyes of us boys, quick to detect fraud, it w^oukl 
pass for a simon pure, fourteen-karat egg that 
had been dropped by some sincere, cackling- 
hen chicken." 

"The ingenious and mirthful rascal I " inter- 
jected the Hon. Harry F. Walton. 

"Well. Xobre would sally forth with his 
loaded egg and get in his deadly work. Me 
always .got all the eggs of downtown boys." 

"The <levil !'' said Senator John C. Grady. 

".\nd he used to have a basket with him 
to carry 'em. too." 

"Why, he wa's a wholesaler. He ought to 
have got a contract to supply the Deaf and 
Dumb .\sylum," said Sam Houseman. 

"Eggsactly so." 

''But what did he do with all his eggs?'' 
inquired Dory Stulb. 

"Well, he used to take 'em home and bury 
'em in salt, and the families in the neighbor- 
hood used to live on 'em until the herring 
season opened." 

.■\nd now you can sec for vourself whv 
Xobre is such a devilish slick politician. It 
was born in him. 

Bob Ingersoll : "The pulpit is the coward's 
castle. " 



122 



Pcnnsyl-c'ania and Its Public }[cii. 




Henry Clay 

Director o( Public Safety 



Henry Clay lias been identified with every 
Mayoralty administration of the Quaker City 
from that of Mayor Stokley to that of Rey- 
burn, a sweep of nearly forty years, a distinc- 
tion belonging to no other living Philadel- 
phian. He has served the city as a school 
director, member of City Councils, as Tax 
Receiver, and as Director of Public Safety, 
and his friends hopefully predict that he will 
round out so remarkable a career as the 
Mayor of the city. His parental grandfather 
was a German wdio fought under Napoleon, 
at Waterloo, and who came to Philadelphia 
in i8ig and built and occupied a house on 
Fifth Street above Poplar, in 1829, in the same 
election division in which Henry Clay was 
born and lived his life through. On the ma- 
ternal side he conies of English Quaker stock. 



When fifteen years old, his father dying, his 
mother with three children moved into the 
house belonging to his grandfather. Henry 
Clay was born in the Sixteenth Ward, August 
17, 1850. His schooling was meager, although 
he attended the Jefiferson Grammar School, 
and he went into a factory when fifteen to 
assist in supporting the family. He next 
found employment in the conveyancer's office 
of O. H. Siddall & Son, where he remained 
until 1869, when he connected himself with 
W. Fred. Snyder, assuming charge of the 
conveyancing department of an extensive real 
estate business. Having mastered the occu- 
pation of a conveyancer and real estate dealer, 
Mr. Clay set up in business in 1878 at 906 
N. Sixth Street. In the meantime he had 
become active as a Republican in the turluilent 



I'cniisyk'ciiiia aiui /ts I'lihlic Men. 



123 



politics of the ward which was natura.ly 
Democratic. In 1877 he was elected a scliool 
director and served three years, two as Presi- 
dent of tlie Board. In 1S80 lie was elected to 
Common Council. He was placed on the Com- 
mittee on Water and Railroads, and the fol- 
lowing year was complimented l)y hcing made 
Chairman of the powerful I'inance Commit- 
tee. In his campaign for re-election, in 1882, 
he was fought Ijy Elwood Rowan, who was 
Chairman of the Repuhlican City Connniltee, 
although he was the regular Republican nomi- 
nee. He was re-elected and re-a])pointed 
Finance Committee Chairman, and became 
conspicuous for the earnestness with which he 
advocated the economy of public expenditures 
and good government. Mr. Clay continued in 
Common Council until 1887, when he resigned 
to become Receiver of Ta.xes. to which he had 
been elected over Charles Benton. Democrat, 
after a spirited campaign. an<l in which he 
was secretly opposed by Republican leaders 
who were inimical to James McManes. Mr. 
Clay reorganized the Tax Office under the 
Bullitt Charter, introducing many important 
changes. He served three years. In 1878 
Mr. Clay suffered his only defeat as an elec- 
tive candidate. Two Republican Legislative 
tickets were in the field, headed resi)ect fully 
by Mahlon H. Dickinson and Benjamin Mc- 
Cutcheon. The feeling was so bitter that both 
were compelled to withdraw, and Mr. Clay 
was agreed upon as a compromise candidate. 
He had offended certain Republican leaders 
who secretly connived at his defeat, antl .An- 
drew T. Elder, Democrat, was elected. Quit- 
ing the Tax Office the people of his ward still 
demanded Mr. Clay's services, and he was 
elected to Select Council in 1892, and re- 
mained a member of that body and one of its 
leaders until 1907. when he resigned to enter 
the cabinet of ^layor Reylnirn, as Director 
of Public Safety. Upon assuming this office 
Mr. Clay resigned from all his business con- 
nections and corporations. Mr. Clay takes 
pride in the fact that on every occasion when 
a candidate, he has been the regular Repub- 
lican nominee. He has made the most effi- 
cient and progressive Director of Public 
Safety the city has ever had, having brought 
the police and fire departments into a high 
state of efficiency, and injected new life blood 
and methods into all the bureaus under him. 
Mr. Clay has a reputation as a forcible and 
interesting public speaker, and is regarded as 
one of the best efjuipped men in the service 
of the citv. He is a member of the St. Paul's 
Lodec, ]■'. & A. M.: Pacific Lodge. I. O. of 
O. F. : Past Chancellor. Teiup'e Lodge, Xo. 
.^41, K. P.. and Lafayette Lodpe .\. O. .A. .A. 
He has a coast bound resort at Beeslev's Point, 
where he spends his spare time with agreeable 
companions, and is a patron of all manly 
sports. 



E. Tracy Tobin 

E. Tracy Tobin was born in the .Seventh 
Ward of tile City of Philadelphia, March 26, 
1871. .\t the age of sixteen lie entered upon 

\\\< Inisim-ss career. Fir^t In- w.i^ iiiL':i'/i-d mi 




the We^t Philadelphia I'rrss and other local 
journals, and subsequently published the fier- 
mantown Press, and was interested in the pub- 
lication of the Dramatic .\'c7i.'s. 

In 1891 he engaged in the real estate busi- 
ness, in which he has been highly successful, 
his offices now being at 780 Drexel Building, 
Philadelphia. In real estate matters, and espe- 
cially on valuations, he is regarded as an au- 
thority. While engaged in the real estate 
business, he has likewise been an officer in 
several coal and railroad corporations in West 
Virginia. 

Ever since casting his first vote Mr. Tobin 
has been actively interested in political and 
civic matters, and while at all times a Republi- 
can, has been identified with several local 
independent movements. He has never held 
public office. He organized and was president 
of the United Citizens' .\ssociation. which took 
an active part in the .\shbridge Mayoraltv 
caninaign of 1899; he also organized and was 
president of the Congressional and Senatorial 
.Association of West Philadelphia, to which 
association is largely due the credit for secur- 
ing a separate Senatorial district for West 



124 



Pciiiisyk'onia and Its I'liblic Men. 



Philadelphia. Mr. Tobin was a delegate rep- 
resenting the State of West Virginia to the 
National Export Exposition, held in Philadel- 
phia in 1899; and also a delegate to the 
International Commercial Congress, held in 
conjunction with the exposition, representing 
that State, and also the Chamber of Commerce. 
For his services in connection with these mat- 
ters. Governor .A.tkinson. Governor of West 
\'irginia. appointed him a delegate to the Con- 
ference on Trusts, held in Chicago of that year. 
]\Ir. Tobin is well known as a public speaker, 
an aggressive and ardent partisan ; he is par- 
ticularly active in his home ward, the Forty- 
sixth, being a member of the Republican Ward 
Executive Committee of that ward. He is 
married, and has two children. He is a mem- 
ber of the West Philadelphia Republican Club; 
the Forty-sixth Ward Republican Club, of 
which club he is one of the Board of Gover- 
nors; Hamilton Council, No. 841, J- O. U. M. ; 
the West Philadelphia Business Alen's Asso- 
ciation, as well as a number of other organiza- 
tions. 

William Whitmer & Sons 

The William \\'hitmer and Sons Lumber 
Company, of Philadelphia, of which Mr. Rob- 
ert Foster Whitmer is president, is one of the 
largest and most progressive concerns of its 
kind in this State, and its standing in the 
business world is largely due to the progres- 
siveness of its president, who was born Janu- 
ary 25, 1864, in Hartleston, Pennsylvania. 
Mr. Whitmer was educated in the public 
schools of Union and Northumberland coun- 
ties, and was graduated from Lafayette Col- 
lege in 1885, and immediately entered the em- 
ploy of Whitmer & Company, in Sunbury, 
and soon obtained a thorough mastery of the 
lumber business, making him a most efficient 
assistant of his father, the senior member 
of the firm. 

When the William Whitmer and Sons Lum- 
ber Company was incorporated and removed to 
Philadelphia, young Whitmer was made Vice- 
President upon the death of the senior mem- 
ber of the firm in 1896. He is also President 
of the Condon Lane Lumber Company, of 
West Virginia, Vice-President of the Buffalo 
Lumber Company, of West Virginia, and 
President of the Dry Dock Railroad, which 
extends through a productive mining and lum- 
bering section of West Virginia, an enter- 
prise projected and constructed by Mr. \Miit- 
nier, and which has proved a very important 
and prosperous undertaking. He is a mem- 
ber of the Union League and other leading 
social clubs of Philadelphia, and is much es- 
teemed in these, particularly as he is promi- 
nent in a commercial way. 



Gustav Bacharach 

Gustav Bacharach was born in Mil ford, 
Delaware, forty years ago. and came to Phila- 
delphia when two years of age. He received 
his primary education in the public schools of 




Pliiladclphia, and was graduated from the old 
Harrison Boys' Grammar School number two 
in his class. He has lived his entire life in the 
Nineteenth and Twentieth Wards, and since he 
was nineteen years of age, has taken active 
interest in politics, and has attended all the 
Coroner's conventions in the last twelve years. 
He was a delegate to the last Mayor's and City 
Treasurer's Convention; in addition to which 
he has attended various patriotic conventions, 
and was known throughout the city and State 
as an orator of patriotic celebrations and 
numerous political campaigns. He possesses 
vast knowledge as to the value of real estate, 
and his familiarity with the different sections 
of the city has, in a large measure, contributed 
to his success. In the political life of the city 
he has held various important positions, hav- 
ing been a member of the ]\Iercantile -Ap- 
praisers' Board, and is now a real estate 
assessor. He has done much to further the 
interest of the Republican party. He is ;\Ias- 
ter of Lodge No. 3, F. A. M., and an officer 
in the Oriental Chapter of the Royal Lodge 
Masons; director of the American Funeral 



Pciiiisvkviiia and Its Public Men. 



125 



Benefit Association of the United States; Past 
National Counsel of the Junior Order of the 
United American Mechanics ; Representative 
to the State Council of the Junior Order of 
American Mechanics. He is an active and in- 
fluential member of the Anti-Cobden Club of 
the Xincteenth Ward. Fidelity Club of the 
Twentieth Ward, and the Young Men's Repub- 
lican Club of the Twentieth Ward. He was 
appointed Assistant Chief Marshal with the 
title of colonel at the inauguration of Presi- 
dent Roosevelt on March 4, 1905. He has had 
charge of the Speaker's Bureau of the Re- 
publican City Executive Committee for the last 
ten years, and directed all the ward and city 
mass meetings. 



The Volunteer Choir 



The warehouse of a newspaper man's 
memory, as the years of an active life are 
unreeled, receives many a rare incident of 
personal experience, ludicrous, pathetic, trag- 
ical. From a store of such I have chosen 
this: 

The winter of 1873 ^ ^^'"is a featherless re- 
porter on the Philadelphia Itiquircr. One 
afternoon I was called out by Joe Robinson, 
my city editor, who said : 

"You have twenty minutes in which to 
catch a train for Port Deposit ; big ice .gorge. 
The Xew York and Baltimore papers have 
men there." 

Catching the train by a scratch, I was soon 
bowling along toward the romantic Susque- 
hanna River, with a premonition that I was 
in for a job of some days and not a change 
of linen. It was dusk when the train reached 
Port Deposit. .\ skiff carried me from the 
depot to the sole hotel, the streets being 
flooded, and there I found the colony of for- 
eign newspaper men, all strangers to me. 

I shall not dwell upon the midnight alarms, 
the fear of the inhabitants to go to bed, of 
our experience with the "stone fence," the 
raftsman's delight, or the cowardly attack 
upon us by the town bullies. 

This was my first important assignment to 
field work, and naturally I was abashed at 
first to come into news competition with stars 
and seasoned stagers of the profession, for 
there was a keen rivalry to score "beats" on 
the condition of the up-river and opinions of 
local sages. 

-Andy Bowen, of the Baltimore Suti. the 
best reporter of his day in that city, paralyzed 
us by a sneak horseback ride up the river and 
printing a two-column story. 

Besides Bowen and myself, there were John 
Bogart. the word painter reporter of the Xew 
York Sun. and afterwards its citv editor: 



"I'atty" Lawson, of the Xew Y'ork Times, 
jovial, open-handed, a thorough Bohemian ; 
Cale Dunn, a crack reporter of the Xew York 
World, and Jack Gilbert, a Philadelphia jour- 
nalistic graduate, representing the Xew York 
Herald. All were reporters of the very first 
rank, whose news products would be models 
for reporters of the present day, 

Sunday came, a bright thawing February 
day, which increased the apjirehensions as to 
the river, but it did not deter the sweet-voiced 
bell on the village church from bidding the 
flock to the sanctuary. 

By a unanimous vote we attended the serv- 
ice, as time hung heavily, a row-boat deposit- 
ing us at the church door. A smart village 
choir, with organ accompaniment, enlivened 
the service. The pastor's prayer was a pow- 
erful appeal to the Almighty to stay the hand 
of destruction: and the sermon, while not the 
effort of a Beccher or a Talmage, was an in- 
teresting interpretation of the Divine Word. 
The sermon ended, the pastor requested the 
choir to sing the then popular and tuneful 
hynm, "Whiter Than Snow." Containing the 
best voices of the village, the choir acquitted 
itself with credit. 

When the second verse was reached, begin- 
ning: 

"Thorny was the crown that He wore, 
And the cross His body o'ercame ; 
Grievous w'ere the sorrows He bore. 
But he suffered thus not in vain" — ■ 
Bogart, Dunn, I.awson and Gilbert struck in, 
their voices blending into a splendid quartette, 
and completely drowning the efforts of the 
choir. 

Bogart led the air, Dunn carried the tenor, 
Gilbert the baritone and Lawson the bass. 
N'o sweeter nnisic had I ever heard from 
human lips. An electric thrill seemed to pass 
through the worshippers, whose eyes were 
riveted upon the stranger singers, and when 
the third verse was taken up the choir invol- 
untarily recognizing that it had a rival, and 
that its own w'ork would spoil the effect, stood 
dumb while the newspaper men finished the 
soul-inspiring hymn. I never saw a body of 
people so silently moved by music, and when 
the sweet strains subsided the congregation 
still sat spell-bound. 

.\fter the benediction the pastor hastened to 
the boys, while the members also crowded 
about them an<l secured the former's request 
that they give a concert two nights thereafter 
in aid of the Sunday-school library, which 
they promised to do. 

The concert was a success, notwithstanding 
the program was hurriedly arranged and 
there was no time for rehearsal. Tack Gilbert 
afterwards studied music and appeared in 
opera. 



126 



rcintsxk'iuiia and Its I'libhc Men. 



Col. James Lewis 

It is not the purposL' of this volume to he 
laudatory, but it is the purpose to coninieiul 




the men who are justly entitled to cimimen- 
dation. 

In referring- to Col. James Lewis, the sub- 
ject of this sketch, he is so well and favorably 
known that it does not behoove us to write an 
introduction of him, except perhaps to say 
this, that he is a recognized expert upon real 
estate values, not only in the city of Phila- 
delphia, but throughout the entire State of 
Pennsylvania. He was born in Philadelphia, 
but removed to Wilmington. Del., at the age of 
seven years, receiving a thorough education in 
the private schools of that city. 

Not only was he loyal to his tutors. Init he 
was also loyal to his country. He was one 
of the first to enlist for the preservation of 
the Union, April i8, i86t, and lost his right 
foot in the service of his country. This did 
not, however, debar him from serving during' 
the remainder of the Civil War, as he did 
stafif duty throughout the entire length of the 
strenuous times, serving as Judge Advocate, 
Ordnance Ofificer, and Aide-de-Camp. Sub- 
sequently to the positions before enmnerated 
he was appointed Tax Collector, under Gen- 
eral Sheridan, at New Orleans. 

He resigned his commission February 28, 
1866, and was breveted Colonel of his regi- 
ment. 



The trend of his mind being in the direction 
of commercial pursuits, he engaged in busi- 
ness, and was subsequently appointed post- 
master at the city where he received his 
preliminary training, ^\■ilmington, April 5, 
1869. Receiving his appointment from the 
late President Grant, in consequence of his 
etificiencv in this connection, he was reap- 
pointed by Grant, March 18. 1873. 

In the political arena he has been as suc- 
cessful as he was in his war record, he having 
served w'ith distinction as Chairman of the 
Repulilican State Central Committee of Dela- 
ware for four consecutive years. 

In real estate values the Colonel is conceded 
to have particulars as to values at his finger 
ends, and the occurrences are rare when he 
is not called upon to give real estate testi- 
mony. He is fearless and his opinion is taken 
at face value. He is considered by Court and 
layman to be par excellence. 



Dr. Edward H, Fahey 

Philadelphia 

Edward H. Fahey was born on a farm near 
the historic tow'n of Ki-unett Square, Chester 




County, February 28, 1865. His early youth 
was spent on the farm of his parents, and 
what educational advantages he had came to 
him through the ]niblic school. He had no 



Pciiiisyli'aiiia and Its I'lihlic Men. 



12: 



inclination to follow the iitc of a farmer, 
and being possessed of an ambition to bettei 
his condition, he obtained emplovnient as an 
office boy in the store of the leadin.u; druggist 
in the city of Wilmington, Del. He was 
rapidly promoted, and having a natural a])li- 
tude for the ])harniaceutical profession, he de- 
termined to enter upon it as his life work. He 
was enrolled as a student in the Philadelphia 
College of Fharmacy, i)aying his way from his 
savings and still retaining his position with 
the Wilmington druggist. Soon after his 
graduation, which he did with class honors. 
he purchased a drug store in the Tenth Ward. 
Philadelphia, and removing to that city, has 
resided there since. Upon taking up his resi- 
dence there he identified himself with the 
Republican party, his activity and his promi- 
nence as a business man attracting the atten- 
tion of the leaders. He was selected a mem- 
ber of the Ward Executive Committee, wliich 
he still retains, and for a time held a seat in 
the Reoublican City Executive Committee, a 
post of party honor. In 1889 he received the 
nomination for the Legislature and was elected 
to the House of 1899. and was re-elected to 
the session of 1901. Dr. l-'ahey then retired 
temporarily from the role of the ilarrisl)urg 
statesman, and in 1902 was elected a member 
of the Select Council of Philadelphia from the 
Tenth Ward. Political conditions in 1904 
necessitated his nomination a.gain for the 
Legislature, and he returned to his old seat 
and was re-elected to the sessions of 1907 and 
of 1909. He has occupied a commanding posi- 
tion in the Legislature, and has been the 
father of much legislation of importance af- 
fecting large interests. .At the sessions of 
1907 he was a member of the important com- 
mittees on railroads, law and order, insurance, 
and electric railways. He has a large and 
lucrative pharmacy at the northwest corner 
of Thirteenth and Race .Streets. 



The late ^farsball Wright, of .Mlentown. 
who was naval oOlcer of Philadeliibia under 
President Cleveland, was not only one of the 
best story tellers of the State, but his sense 
of humor was marvelous. Even while he was 
wasting away with disease and was staring 
death in the face, his spirits effervesced and 
the stories continued to roll from him to the 
edification of bis loving friends. At last when 
he became a home prisoner he got bold of a 
medical book which he read very closelv. 
One day he said to his physician. Dr. Schafer. 
"Doctor, I have been reading this book, and 
I find by my symptoms, as set forth in the 
description of the various diseases, that I have 
.got everything with the exception of "pro- 
lapsus uteri." 



Charles B. Prettyman 

Builder 

.\nioiig archilrcts and builders of the city 
whose careers have e.Nemplilied the possibility 
of American life for the young man without 
capital. Ch.irles I!. Preilvman stands out 




prominently. He was Ijorn in Dover, Del., 
in l86_^. and educited in the public schools 
and trained in early life in farming and car- 
pentry. He came to Philadelphia in the 
spring of 1883 with less than five dol'ars in 
his pocket. He started in as an architect and 
builder and became interested in the general 
real estate business, and so steady has been 
the '"rowth of his interests that he modestly 
admits to-day that his capital will reach close 
to the million-dollar mark. He has erected 
in this city in the neighborhood of ten thou- 
saml dwellings, which have ranged in price 
from $1500 to S.^5.000. Examples of his work 
at .Atlantic City may be seen in the ( irand 
.Atlamic Hotel, costing $150,000: the Roval 
Palace Hotel, costing $350,000: the Princess 
Hotel, costing $100,000. His life has by no 
means been confined entirely to business, for 
his social connections include life member- 
ship in the Elks: he is a thirtv-second degree 
Mason, anfl a member of the Philadelphia 
.\tbletic. Cricket. Columliia. A'oimg Repub- 
lican. Cedar Park, .\tlantic Cilv. Countrv, .At- 
lantic Citv A'acht, C"olumliia A'acht, and other 



128 



Pcniisxl'-c'OJiia and Its Public Men. 



clubs, and is hailed as a prominent and pro- 
gressive member of the Clam Diggers. He is 
an enthusiastic yachtsman and yacht owner, 
devoting nearly all his leisure time to the 
water. 

Hon. George Boal Orlady 

Huntingdon 

George Boal Orlady comes of a parent stock 
that settled in Huntingdon County before the 




Revolution, his family having been prominent 
in its affairs. He was born in the town of 
Petersburg, February 22, 1850. He had liberal 
advantages as to education, and graduated 
from Washington and . Jefferson College in 
1869. In 1898 he was honored with the degree 
of LL.D. He determined that his life work 
should be that of medicine, and after a course 
at the Jefferson Medical College took the de- 
gree of M.D. in 1871. 

After a short practice the law appeared to 
appeal more strongly to him, and he entered 
upon its study with zest, being admitted to the 
local bar in 1875. He was married February 
22, 1877, to Mary Irvin Thompson. In 1878-87 
he was elected to the District Attorneyship of 
Huntingdon County, leaving the office with a 
reputation. 

Upon the creation by the Legislature, in 
1895, of the new appellate judicial body, the 
Superior Court, Judge Orlady was appointed 



one of its six Judges for a term of ten years. 
He was re-elected in 1906, and his present 
term will e.xpire in 19 16. Judge Orlady is 
strenuously active in the Masonic fraternity, 
and in 1908 was elected Grand Master of the 
Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. He is the 
leader in the movement for the establishment 
of a large free home in the central portion of 
the State for indigent and incapacitated mem- 
bers of the order and their wives. Judge 
Orladv is noted for his democratic simplicity 
and his rare social qualities. His friends are 
ambitious to see him Governor of Pennsyl- 
vania, and will work with that end in view. 



Joseph W. Hunter 

State Highway Commissioner 

Joseph \\'. Hunter, who has now been State 
Highway Commissioner for more than five 
years, was born July 23, 1853, on the Pont 
Reading farm in Haverford Township, Dela- 
ware County, Pennsylvania. He received his 
education in private and public schools and 
finally entered the Mantua Academy in West 




Phila(lel]ihia, from which institution he was 
graduated in 1870, second in his class. He 
then entered the offices of Samuel L. Smed- 
ley, Esq., engineer and surveyor of the nth 
Survey District of Philadelphia, under whom 
he studied and practiced his chosen profes- 



/'ciinsylvaniii ami Its I'lihlic Men. 



129 



siuii. remaining with Mr. Snic-dloy's suc- 
cessor, George \\'. Hancock. I{sf|. Mr. Hun- 
ter was sul)se(|iiently employed by Mr. Snicd- 
Icy. then Chief Kngineer of the city of i'liihi- 
delpliia. to make topograi)hical surveys in the 
citv and in map surveying. He was elected 
Justice of the Peace in Jenkintown in icS/S. 
and re-elected in 1883. He was elected 
County Surveyor in 181S2, and Register of 
Wills in Monlgoniery County, in 1SS7. Since 
1900 he has been actively engaged in his 
profession of civil engineering and surveying, 
turning his attention more directly to the im- 
provement in county roads and the construc- 
tion of .stone roads. He is a member of the 
commission appointed by the Courts of Phil- 
adelphia and Delaware counties to locate and 
adjust the boundary line between those coun- 
ties. He is a prominent and influential mem- 
ber of the Engineers' Club of Philadelijhia. 
and is universally respected by all with whom 
he conies into contact. 

Thomas Talbot Nelson 

Insurance Agenl 

Thomas Talbot Xelson was born Xovem 
ber 30, 1851. in IJaltiniore County, Maryland. 
He was educated in the public schools of 
Baltimore. In 1867 entered the employ of 
the L'nion Insurance Company of Baltimor' 
as an office boy, and in 1S72 was given charge 
of the Agency Department of the company. 
In 1873 took services with the Home Insur- 
ance Company, of Xew ^'ork. as special 
agent, having charge of agencies in Xew 
Jersey. Delaware. Maryland. District of Co- 
lumbia. Virginia. West \'irginia. and Xorth 
Carolina. Left the Home Insurance Com- 
pany in 1878. and in March of that year 
opened an office in Philadel])hia as an ad- 
juster of fire losses, which he still conducts, 
constantly adding to his prestige. Has rej)- 
resented at various times all the leading fire 
insurance companies in adjustments, and since 
opening the office he has adjusted 10.274 
claims, the greater majority of thcni being in 
Philadelphia. He has always been a Demo- 
crat in politics: was candidate of the party 
for City Controller in 1904. In February. 
1907, was elected to Common Council from the 
Thirty-second Ward on the Democratic and 
City Party tickets. He has taken an active 
interest in the city affairs, and is one of the 
most useful members of the citv councils. Is 
President of the Fire Insurance Society, a 
member of "Columbia." "Tonthron." "Demo- 
cratic." "Down Town." and "^'achts■ Men" 
Clubs. 

Queen Elizabeth : ".\ lie is an intellectual 
method of meeting a difficulty." 
9 



Hon. John L. Kinsey 

Judge o( Common Pleas Court 

John L. Kinsey has served the City of 
delphia lor many years, and during lb; 
has been attached to the office of the 1 
.\ttornev. has been lln- ("it\ Solicitor, 



I'hila- 
it time 
)islricl 
and is 




now a Judge of Common I'Kas Court Xo. i. 
He comes from an old and honored Philadel- 
phia family, a descendant on the father's side 
having been one of the first settlers of Frank- 
ford. Judge Kinsey was born in that section in 
the ohl family mansion that until recently stood 
on the Trenton pike. His parents bestowed 
upon him a thorough education, he graduating 
from a private seminary in Philadelphia, and 
then entered upon the study of the law. So-m 
after his admission he was chosen bv District 
.\ttorney ( ieorge S. (Irahani to be one of his 
assistants, and was given charge of the tech- 
nical branch of the office. He had become ac- 
tive as a Republican and rendered efficient 
party services on the slumi) which enabled him 
to coimnand the nomination for Register of 
Wills in 1882. The Committee of One Hun- 
dred was then in its flower and the Regular 
Republican ticket was defeated. In 1S9; 
Charles \\ Warwick. Citv Solicitor, having as- 
siuiied the mayoralty. Mr. Kinsey was chosen 
by City Coimcils to succeed him. .At the fol- 
lowing election. .Voveniber. 1895. Mr. Kinscv 
was elected City .Solicitor by a majority of 



130 



Pciinsxli'uiiia and Its Public Men. 



84,997. t'l'-' largi-';^t up to that time ever given a 
candidate for a municipal office. He continued 
thus the chief law officer of the city until 1907, 
when, upon the retirement of Judge Biddle, he 
was appointed by the Governor as his suc- 
cessor. He was then elected for the full term 
of ten years. Judge Kinsey was a member 
of the Board of Education for fourteen years. 
He is the owner of a splendid collection of 
rare and standard books, numbering over 
5000. 

He is prominent in the Masonic fraternity 
and a prospective grand master of the jurisdic- 
tion of Pennsylvania. He also takes great in- 
terest in the Masonic Home. 



How a City Editor Overrated Himself 

The night of March 4, 1872, was a red let- 
ter one in the morning newspaper offices of 
Philadelphia. Never before or since have they 
been so demoralized, as the staffs of reporters 
were small. To begin with, the citv was visited 
with one of the worst storms of sleet, snow, 
slush and wind that it had experienced in 
years. The street car lines were tied up, and 
altogether it was a night not fit for a dog to 
be out. '¥he Hunter-Armstrong murder case 
in Camden*was at the time the sensation of 
the hour. The news came into the newspaper 
offices, that the negro accomplice of Hmiter, 
who was in the Camden jail, had made a 
confession implicating him. 

A great fire also broke out in Dr. Jayne's 
building on Chestnut Street, below 3d Street, 
and raged with terrific fury, the storm im- 
mensely hampering the work of the firemen. 

I was assisting in the reporting of the fire 
for the Inquirer, when the office boy found me 
and said that the City Editor, Joe Robinson, 
wanted to see me immediately. Reaching the 
office, I was informed that the news had just 
been received that the steamer "Metropolis," 
which was conveying the Collins' Railroad ex- 
pedition to Brazil, the company numbering 
several hundred men, the most of whom were 
Philadelphians, or Pennsylvanians, had been 
lost in a storm off Hatteras. This was another 
illustration of the truth of the old saw, that 
"it never rains, but it pours." 

I was directed to go to the office of the con- 
tractors, Collins Brothers, in Walnut Place, 
and secure a complete list of those on board 
the ill-fated steamer. When I reached the 
office of the unfortunate contractors. I found 
that the reporters from the other morning 
papers had preceded me, while Mr. Phillip 
Collins and his secretary were also there, 
The latter held in his hand a list of the per- 
sons who had been accepted by the firm and 
were supposed to have gone down with the 
vessel. The secretary proposed to call off 



these names and the reporters were to copy 
them. 

Mr. Collins suggested that we wait a few 
minutes to allow of the arrival of the Times 
mati, and he had hardly thus spoken when 
Cathcart Taylor, City Editor of that paper, 
came in like a whirlwind and striding over 
to the secretary, deliberately snatched the 
list from him and bolting out the door fled to 
Walnut Street, where he had a cab with the 
door open awaiting him. and by the time we 
had started on his trail, Taylor's cab was well 
into the next block. We were a crestfallen lot 
of reporters, who were thus gathered in the 
Collins' office. Mr. Collins assisted in making 
the atmosphere redolent with curses loud and 
deep upon the head of the sneak news thief. 
Here would be the Times coming out in the 
morning with an exclusive list of the people 
on the Metropolis, and the four other morning 
papers would be scooped. It would be a scoop 
that would go down in the books. 

While we were cursing our luck and each 
afraid to return to his office and face the 
wrath of the City Editor, an inspiration struck 
Mr. Phillip Collins. He inquired of his sec- 
retary, "Wasn't there a final list checked oft' 
at the Breakwater, which we call the pay- 
master's list ?" 

"Yes, I believe there was. It is in the safe. 
Mr. Tom Collins has the combination." 

The secretary was dispatched after Mr. Tom 
Collins, who boarded at the Continental Hotel, 
luit who. it appears, was spending a social 
evening at a friend's home, and had not yet 
been informed of the calamity. It was not 
until nearly midnight that Mr. Tom Collins 
arrived and relieved our fearful tension by 
finding the list so ardently wanted safe, in the 
safe. 

"Now, boys." said Mr. Phillip Collins, "you 
will have the best of the long-legged thief of 
the Times, and although my brother and my- 
self are heavy stockholders in the paper, we 
will help you to roast it. This is the true 
list. The one stolen was made in this office, 
there being fully seventy-five who backed out 
and didn't go aboard." 

And that was the truth, as the Times was 
compelled to print nearlv fifty letters from per- 
sons whom it had drowned, contending that 
they were still in the land of the living. 

A few years after that, I was standing in 
front of Billy Driver's canteen at 6th and 
Pennsylvania Avenue, in the city of Wash- 
ington, when the body of Cathcart Taylor, 
just taken off a train, was borne down the 
Avenue, bound for Georgetown for burial. 
He had committed suicide in Philadelphia. I 
turned to my friend and said. "I think you can 
assist me in drinking a pint to the memory of 
the man who once played me a scurvy trick." 



Pciuisvhviiia and Its rithlic Men. 



131 



H 



on. 



John C. 

Philadelphia 



Grady 



lohn C. Grady has had an extraordiTiary 
career as a legislator, his career in the Senate 
of Pennsylvania extending over a period of 
nearly thirty years, ahiiost equalling that of 




tile famous Benton in the Senate of the 
United States. It is the longest continuous 
legislative service in the history of the State. 
Senator Grady exerted a marked influence 
during that period upon the legislation of the 
State, and is admitted to be one of the best 
equipped parliamentarians to he found within 
its borders. He was born at Eastport. Maine, 
in 1847, and at an early age his parents 
moved to Philadelphia, which ever afterward 
has been his home. He graduated from the 
Law Department of the University of Pcnn- 
svlvania, and was admitted to practice at 
the bar in 1871, and has always maintained 
a high standing in bis profession. He early 
identified himself with local politics, so much 
so that after he had been at the bar for five 
years he was elected to the State Senate from 
the Seventh District of Philadelphia. He con- 
tinued a member of that body until 1904. He 
was tendered but declined the post of Sur- 
veyor of the Port of Philadelphia. For ten 
years he was Chairman of the Republican 
Legislative Caucus in accordance with the 
custom of seniority : Chairman of the Judi- 



ciary (kneral Committee for eight years; 
Chairman of the I'inance Comniiltee for six- 
teen years, aii<l was twice elected President 
l^ro Icin of the Senate, serving from May, 
1S87, to May, 1889. During the last eight 
vears he was the majority leader in the Sen- 
ate, and no measure advocated or supported 
by him was defeated: reformerl nearly all 
the laws relating to the city of Philadelphia 
existing at the time of his entry there; passed 
the only "Fugitive from Justice" act ever 
enacted in Pennsylvania, and which Xew 
NOrk subsequently adopted; passed the Sat- 
urday half-holiday bill at the instance of the 
bank clerks, and February 12th was made 
a legal holiday, commemorative of the birth 
of .Abraham Lincoln. He introduced and 
passed the Juvenile Court P>ili, separating 
children from adult prisoners. 

He is a trustee of the Medico-Chirurgical 
Hospital and College. On July 10. 1907, Hon. 
John E. Rcyburn, Mayor of the city of Phil- 
adelphia, apjiointed him Director of the new 
Department of Wharves, Docks and Ferries. 
During that year he was commissioned 
by the City Councils to visit and inspect all 
the ports and harbor improvements in Eu- 
rope, and is now ready to build two modern 
])iers on the Delaware River front, probably 
the best in the world; reclaim the waste lands 
south of the city, and in every respect to 
make Philadelphia an up-to-date port. 



Ode to Assimbleymin Slater 

Yez me talk of .\'ay-poIe-yon, Xerxes and 

ITanabal. 
.\nd av all the grate wans who figger in 
books ; 
.\v Capting Cook who wuz ate bv the cana- 

bal. 
.\nd of .Mian Pinkenon. the terror uv 
crooks ; 
.•\nd the crazy Dutch Kayser who carries a 

razor : 
.•\v Plutark. Grate Pater. Plany and Say- 

zor : 
P.iit for a stimmick of kapacity. appatite of 

vorasbity. 
A palate patrashin, imbued wuth curaoshity. 
For stakes, chops, roasts and fowl, game, 

fish, oysters and jow-al. 
There's not wan av thini, indade. nor no two 

av thim — 
O'Sullivan, 0"Grady, O'Shannasay, or Sher- 

ridin 
That can equal, I'm fray to relate, 
Thot .\iack and Trojan, but no thay-a-Iogin, 
.\ssimbleyniin Slater, the nion of weight. 

— S.^M Hudson. 



132 



Pciuisyliwiia and Its I'liblic Men. 



J. E. M. Keller 

Philadelphia 

This pfdiiiiiiL'iit anil wjll-knnwn s\-ntloiiinn, 
who has been Assistant City Treasurer sinee 
jgo2, was horn in Strondsburg. Pa., in 1856, 
and was graduated from the Stroudslmrg' High 




School in 1871. He took a conrse in the 
Peirce School in Philadel])hia, and graduated 
therefrom in February, 1872. He then en- 
gaged in mercantile business in Stroudsburg, 
but in the spring of 1877 became one of the 
instructors in Peirce's School, and continued 
to teach there until June, 1893. From 1886 
up until the time he resigned from the fac- 
ulty, he was vice-president of the school, and 
had special charge of the banking department. 
He was a firm friend of Thomas May Peirce, 
founder of the school, and was associated 
with him in many notable accounting cases. 
He Ijegan the study of law in the offices of 
\\"a!ton & Andre, and was admitted to the bar 
in June, 1897. For the past eighteen years 
be has been quite active in the politics of 
the Thirty-second Ward. In January. 1902, 
when the Hon. John Ham])ton Moore was 
City Treasurer, Mr. Keller took the position 
of chief clerk in that office, and upon Mr. 
Moore's retirement Mr. Henry R. .Shoch, 
who succeeded him, retained Mr. Keller's 
services in the same capacity, as did Treasurer 
R. R. Piringburst. He was made Assistant 



City Treasurer by special Act of the Assembly 
authorizing the position. Mr. Keller is wor- 
shipful master of Lodge No. 9, F and A. M.; 
is active in Corinthian Chapter, R. A. M., No. 
250. and is also a member of Mary Comman- 
dery. Knights Templars; is Past Regent of 
(iuarantee Council, Royal .\rcanum, Xo. 1470. 
and is identified with a number of social clubs, 
and is generally regarded as a man well fitted 
to occupy his present position. 



James A. Carey 

Philadelphia Magistrate 

James .A. Carey has devoted bis manhoml 
life to the detection of crime and the punish- 
ment of criminals. On the police force of 
Philadelphia he has held posts of importance, 
and in politics he has been equally sticcessful. 
lieing now one of the city police magistrates. 
He is a product of the old Fifth Ward, Phil- 
;idel|)hia, his elder brother, Lawrence, now 
dead, having been a political power there for 
many years. The public schools afforded 
•Magistrate Carev his education, and in his 




youthful (lavs he had mercantile employment 
Soon after attaining his majority he was ap- 
jjointed police patrolman and attached to the 
district embracing the Fifth Ward. His nat- 
ural brightness, together with his efficiency 
and attention to dutv, won the attention of 



Pciiiisyli'diiia aud Its I'lihlic Men. 



1-> '> 



his superiors, and after a few years' service 
on tlie street lie was advanced to the position 
of special otTicer or detective for the Tiiird 
Police District. It may he said of him that 
he is a natnral-horn |)olicenian with authority 
to command and a singular talent for the de- 
tection of criminals. He was soon promoted 
to be a street sergeant, and later on he was 
given the stripes of a lieutenant and placed 
in charge of the police of the I'ifth \\ard. 
He was favorably known as 'The Boy Lieu- 
tenant." and was idolized by the men under 
him. As a policeman he has a record for ))er- 
sonal bravery that is unsurpassed, physical 
fear, it is said, being absolutely an unknown 
sensation to him. He accomplished a number 
of important and sensational arrests of crimi- 
nals, and has been comiilimented upon more 
than one occasion by trial judges in open 
court. From his boyhood days he breatlied 
an atmosphere of politics, and early identi- 
fied himself with the Repub'ican party. He 
attained a reputation for political shrewdness. 
and for several years was the right-hand man 



of the various jjolitical leaders of the ward. 
In 1905. when the City Party swe])t the ci'y 
and gained control through .Mayor Weaver, 
Lieutenant Carey fell a victim to the ven- 
geance of the Reformers, and was deposed. 
In 1906 he was invested \\i:li the kepulilican 
leadershii) of the ward, and at once began "a 
house cleaning." casting a.'^ide the "rough 
house" and frauduknt methods of his ])redc- 
cessors and giving back to the turbulent ward 
its good name and pi ace and order. In igoK 
Mr. Carey was nominate<l and elected one of 
the police magistrates, and presides over Court 
Xo. 5. at 637 Walnut .Stre t. .Mr. Carey has 
never married, and his affections have been 
centered upon his aged mother and invalid 
sister. He was the founder and is president 
of the Thomas I). I'inletter Rei)ub!ican Clid), 
and has given it a fine home at 637 Walnut 
.Street. Magistrate Carey is one of the most 
])opular and active Re])ublicans in Philadel- 
))hia. and has a i>er,sonal following that does 
him Iionor, 




F. Roma & Brothers 



The old proverb of cleanliness being next to 
godliness is exemplified by the subjects of this 
sketch, the well-known barbers. I". Roma S: 
Brothers. The senior member of the firm 
came to Philadel])bia some twenty-seven years 
ago. and formed a partnership with his two 
brothers. Louis and Emilio. for the purpose of 
running an up-to-date barber shop. Their 
success was almost instanter. and from a verv 
sinall beginning they rapidly showed their 
ability, until to-day they control a chain of 
eleven barber shops, six of which are located 
in Philadelphia: at the Hotel Walton, St. 



lames. Reading Terminal, Dooner's. Conti- 
nental. P.road Street Station, and they have 
the largest barber shop in the world, a cut of 
which is shown f>n this page, which is located 
at the Hoffman House. Xew \'ork City. Thev 
also control one of less pretentious size at the 
Knickerbocker Hotel in that city. Thev also 
have a shop at the Cnion .Station in the city 
of Washington. 

Xot only do they conduct these vast enter- 
prises, but they also conduct a jirivate bank- 
ing bouse at SiS South l-lighth Street, and are 
identified with numerous other enterprises. 



134 



Pcniisyiz'aiiia and Its I'liblic Men. 



E. J. Stackpole 

Poslmaster of Harrisburg 

E. J. Stackpole. niie of the best known 
newspaper men of this State, has devoted his 
life to the journa'istic profession. He was 




born at McVcvtuwn, Mifflin County, Pa., Jan- 
uary i<S, 1861 ; was one of a family of eleven 
children, and received his education in the 
public schools and at the printer's case. His 
grandfather was a contractor for construction 
of the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad, 
and his father, E. H. H. Stackpole, was a 
member of the Legislature from Mifflin 
County, and later Superintendent of State 
Buildings and Grounds. At 17 he was doing 
most of the local work on the McVeytown 
Journal, and later became manager of the 
Orbisonia Dispatch. His work in the Juniata 
\^alley attracted notice, and in 1883 he was 
offered a position on the Harrisburg Evening 
Telegraph, then became its city editor, and 
in 1901 purchased the controlling interest. 
For many years he represented the leading 
metropolitan newspapers at the State capital, 
and w^as regarded as one of the most con- 
spicuous legislative correspondents. He has 
represented the State on a number of com- 
missions, and he has a wide acquaintance 
among public men. His strenuous policy in 
the conduct of the Telegraph to make of Har 



commercial prosperity, has added to his popu- 
larity. He has been President of the Board 
of Traile and of the exclusive Harrisburg 
Club. He was founder of the Cameron Club 
of Harrisburg. commander of the Harrison 
Invincibles. the most famous marching club 
in the history of the city, was one of the orig- 
inators of "Home Week," is a thirty-second 
degree Mason and a member of other fra- 
ternities. Mr. Stackpole was appointed Post- 
master of Harrisburg in Feliruarv, 1901, and 
was re-appointed. 

In 1909 he entered upon his third term, 
having been indorsed by all the commercial 
l)odies and leading citizens without regard to 
party, and with no opposing candidate — a com- 
lilinicnt without ])arallel. 



Harry Hunter 

Philadelphia 

Harry Hunter is one of the political land- 
marks of the "Quaker City," in which he was 
horn in the old Tenth Ward in 1846. He has 
devoted his entire life to politics, and for thirty 
years was on the fighting line as a I^epublican 




and tlie undisputed leader of the Third Ward. 
In the "seventies" he had atttained such a 
irominence that he was put forward as a can- 



risburg "A City Beautiful." and to advance its didate for Coroner. The convention was a 



Pciuisylz'aiiia and Its [^iiblic Men. 



135 



stormy and riotous one. the Republicans in a 
factional struggle breaking up. Hunter becom- 
ing the candidate of one faction and .\ndre\v 
Knoor of another. This led to the election of 
Dr. Gilbert, the Democratic nominee. Mr. 
Hunter represented the Third Ward on the 
Republican City Executive Conniiittee con- 
tinuously for twenty years. In 1893 he was 
elected to Select Council, defeating the Demo- 
cratic leader, Peter Monroe, which was con- 
sidered the hardest fight in Philadelphia, and 
re-elected in 1896. It was largely through 
his instrumentality that the ward was turned 
from a Democratic to a Republican strong- 
hold. Mr. Hunter was a delegate to twenty- 
seven Republican State conventions, and was 
a delegate for Chester .\. .Arthur for Presi- 
dent in the National Convention. an<l was 
twice alternate. Mr. Hunter possessed the 
confidence of Senator Quay to a remarkable 
degree, and later had no more loyal follower. 
Senator Quay had it in his power to make him 
Deputy Xaval Officer of Philadelphia, and 
leading him to expect it. named his own son. 
Curtin Quay. This treachery did not affect 
Hunter's loyalty to him, but through Hon. 
Israel \V. Durham, who was a strong per- 
sonal friend of Mr. Hunter's, as he continuefl 
to cast his fortunes with him in the memorable 
factional struggle of the Combine and .\iiti- 
Combine wings of the party. Mr. Hunter 
ultimately grew weary at last of political 
strife and turmoil, and removed to West Phila- 
delphia, taking up his residence in the Twenty- 
seventh Ward. Some years ago he received 
the appointment of Real Estate .Assessor, 
which he still holds. He is rated as one of 
the best authorities in the city on realty valu- 
ations. He is one of the most lovable of men. 
counting his friends by the legion in every 
walk of life. He was also one of the pillars 
of the old. now dead, Union Republican Club, 
and has transferred his affections to the Pen- 
rose Club, in whose affairs he takes an active 
interest. 



Richard B. Williams 

Richard B. Williams is Deputy Surveyor of 
United States Customs at the port of Phila- 
delphia, in charge of the physical branch of 



The old saying that it is impossible for a 
lawyer to write his own will that will stand 
the test, reminds me of a bill that was sent 
to the legislature in 1S93 by the Justices of 
the Supreme Court. This was to authorize 
each of them to appoint a clerk or stenog- 
rapher at $1000 salary. The bill was referred 
to the Judiciary General Committee of the 
Senate, which was composed of a cluster of 
good lawyers. .After a critical examination 
it was found to contain two subjects, and 
therefore was rankly unconstitutional. It 
was certainly a joke on a Supreme Court. 




said service, to which he was appointed Jan- 
uary, 1902. 

For a number of years prior to his a[)i)oint- 
nient as Deputy Surveyor he was .Assistant 
Commissioner of Highways, called to the 
numici])al service by Edwin H. Fitler. the first 
"BuUit Hill" mayor, serving under the admin- 
istrations of -Mayors Stuart and Warwick, and 
a portion of Mayor .Ashbridge's term. 

Mr. Williams was largely interested in 
maritime affairs for tw'enty years prior to 
that lime. His business was in naval stores 
and manufacturer and dealer in maritime sup- 
plies. During that time he was a Director of 
the X'cssel Owners' .Association, also a bank 
director. He made an extensive lour of South 
.America in connection with maritime inter- 
ests. 

Mr. Williams is a resident of the Twenty- 
fourth Ward, and for a number of years was 
President of the Ward Republican Executive 
Committee, and succeeded Hon. C. Wesley 
Thomas as President of the "Hamilton Re- 
publican Club." He has been a member of 
"The ^'oung Republicans" (213 South Broad 
Street) for many years, serving during that 
time on the Board of Directors. Chairman of 
the House Connnittee. ami \'ice-President. 



136 



F'ciuisvlz'uiiia and Its I'nblic Men. 



He was appointed, June ii, 1903. by Gov- 
ernor Pennypacker, Director of the Pennsyl- 
vania Nautical School, and is now president 
pro tent, of that board. 

Mr. Williams has been a member of the 
Masonic fraternity since 1874, and is now in 
full strength of jjbysical manhood, with a 
high moral character, courteous and diplo- 
matic, possessing business ability, striving at 
all times for the highest standard of efficiency, 
to which his success in life is due. 



The Terrible Threat of the Late Col. McClure 

I will now introduce to you "my friend and 
fellow-statesman," the Hon. George Washing- 
ton Skinner, of Fulton County, as the author- 
ity for the story I am about to relate. Almost 
everybody in Pennsylvania and a good many 
peop'e outside of it, know Captain Skinner. 
A Belvidere Apollo in physique, he has a 
heart almost as big as his body. He was 
known as a friend of Quay's, although a 
"Democrat," and for the many political favors 
he had rendered him and for his friendship's 
sake, the .Senator gave him the superinten- 
dency of one of the State Soldiers' Orphans' 
schools. 

For years and years he was a familiar 
figure in the Legislature, and in 1890 he had 
the distinction, which seldom comes to one 
man, of running for both Congress and the 
Legislature at the same election. And here 
is the captain's story: — 

"When Senator Quay was holding an 
office on the hill at Harrisburg and Colonel 
McClure was representing Franklin County 
in the State Senate, and that was years ago, 
you know, the three of us came down to Phila- 
delphia on some legislative business or other. 
On a Monday afternoon we started for the 
Capital nn a train .=0 as McClure and I could 
be present at the Monday night session. On 
the trip a game of poker was suggested in 
order to kill the time, for the trains didn't 
speed along as fast as they do now, covering 
the one hundred and three miles in three 
hours. The cards were produced. 

"I don't know from whose pocket thev 
came, but I can say that poker playing was 
a diversion universally indulged in by public 
men in those halcyon days. T remember, it 
was a dollar ante. Althouph I sav it mvself, 
I used to play a pretty stiff hand, and Sam 
Moon, John Boilcau, Andy Curtin. Rutan and 
Lish Davis used to know it to their cost. too. 
I shall not weary you with the details of the 
play : I will only say that during the coming 
and going of the various jack-pots all the 
readv cash that McClure had, and likewise all 



that Quay had, at the end of the journey had 
been transferred from their pockets into mine. 
And. besides. I had the checks of each of them 
on Bunigartner's bank of Harrisburg in my 
inside pocket." 

"They deposited in that bank?" said I. 

"They did when they had anything to de- 
posit, which was d seldom. Well, to tell 

the truth, I was a little dubious about those 
checks, myself, and I lost no time in unload- 
ing them upon a confiding fellow-citizen. 
\\ hen my victim presented them at the bank 
he was informed there were not enough funds 
with which to meet them, but after some 
palaver by I'umgartner he consented to cash 
them and trust to God for his money. Bum- 
gartner was madder than New York was 
when she lost the World's Fair. He decided 
to give the two gentlemen a shaking up. He 
sent a messenger to Quay, informing him that 
he desired to see him at once on a matter of 
importance. Quay scented the danger from 
afar. He knew the kind of man Bumgartner 
was when his dander was up, and then, be- 
sides. Quay in those days was timid and re- 
tiring. He sought the banker in his den with 
fear and trembling. "What do you mean, you 
and that fellow McClure, using my bank to 
pay your infernal debts of honor when neither 
of you have got one hundred cents to your 
credit. Do you want to force me into bank- 
ru]itcy ? I tell you. you have got to meet 
those checks, or Fll find a way to make you.' " 

"He was giving Quay the grand bluff," 
said I. 

"And if any man kin, he kin, as Captain 
Cuttle would say. \\'ell. Quay hastened to the 
senate chamber and laid the situation before 
McClure. "These are debts of honor,' said 
Quay ; 'they have got to be paid ; Bumgartner 
is mad and will expose us as sure as death.' 
McClure was not disturbed in the least. He 
kept as cool as a glacier in the region of per- 
petual snow. 'Now, ril tell you what we'll 
do.' said McClure. 'We'll give old Bumgart- 
ner a shock. We'll go down to his cussed old 
bank and threaten to withdraw our accounts.' 
Then the two walked down to the banker, 
were shown into his private room, and Mc- 
Clure. acting as spokesman, said: — 

" 'See here, Bumgartner, Quay tells me that 
you have been making a fuss about a couple 
of checks we have given on our accounts pay- 
ab'e to the order of Captain Skinner. Now, 
we've made up our minds that we don't want 
to hear any more of it and that in case that 
we do that we shall instantly withdraw our 
accounts from your d old bank.' 

"Bumgartner was, indeed, dazed. The au- 
dacity of this awful threat was too much for 
his blood. It required a full thirty seconds 
1)y the watch for him to get his grip again 



Pciiiisvhaiiia and Its Public Men. 



13: 



upon his seat of intelligence. W hen he had 
recovered, he said " 

"I can imagine what a man in his ])ositinn 
would say," I interpolated. 

"lie leaned hack in his chair and said just 
four words." 

"And yet they were eloquent words, expres- 
sive words; they fitted the case." said I. 

"Those four words were: Well. I'll he 
d d.- ■• 



Peoples Brothers 

Contractors 

This successful business was estahlished 
some thirlv-five vcars ago hv the late William 




Peoples, who was a man who spent a long 
life in industrious pursuits, and who had a 
reputation par excellence for honesty and 
integrity. lie was succeeded by his sons. 
David, Robert J., and .Andrew Peoples. The 
firm enjoys prominence in their particular 
line, and among the prominent buildings with 
which they have been identified as contractors 
may be mentioned the Morton School, P.ayard 
Taylor School. I'oon's Dam School, Grover 
Cleveland School, .Anthony X. Wayne School, 
the city jail for Baltimore. Maryland. They 
also constructed Cohocksink, Wingohocking, 
and -Shunk Street sewer svstems, and nianv 



city and street contracts have been success- 
fully han<lle(l by this firm for the city of 
Philadeli)hia. They also constructed the sewer 
system and tlisposing plant for Moorestown, 
.\cw Jersey, and that for Xew .Milford and 
Oradcll. Xew Jersey. They did the excava- 
tion and foundation work for the Reading 
Terminal. Stephen (iirard Building. Drexel 
Building, and are now engaged in doing simi- 
lar work for the John W'anamaker building 
which is far ahead of the specified contract 
time. They have done upward of one hun- 
dred miles of sewer excavation work in the 
city of Reading, Pa., which has been accom- 
plished without a hitch of any kind. 

Mr. David Peoples, whose portrait is de- 
picted above, is a man who is, in all senses, 
a recognized authority upon sewerage and 
contract work, and it is with pleasure that 
he is referred to in this, the Blue Book, of 
the eitv and State's famous men. 



Richard Quay Could Have Succeeded 
His Father 

When .Senator Quay died at his home in 
I'.eaver, (iovernor Sanniel W. Pennypacker 
loomed iiuo the lime light by rea.son of his 
position as the ap])ointing power to fill the 
vacancy. He arrived at the Quay house after 
death had entered, and to attend the funeral 
on Decoration Day. May. 1904. 

Mis coming greatly worried the pall-bear- 
ers, several of whom were real or supposed 
candidates for the Senator's old shoes. There 
was much jealousy among them lest one 
would secure the advantage of access to the 
(iovernor's ear. or that the friends of this or 
that candidate would have the o]>])ortunity of 
impressing their clainis upon his attention. 

It can be said that when Senator Quay died 
Senator Penrose was in the house. He did 
not get to see the ex])iring master politician 
before he died. The dying Senator was asked 
if he wished to see Penrose, and he reijlied 
that he did not. 

When the news was brought downstairs 
that Quav was dead. Senator Penrose was 
seated in the library. The intelligence, al- 
though momeiuarily expected, caused Penrose 
to make a sudden move on the chair in which 
he was seated, when it broke down under his 
weight and he was i)recipitated to the floor. 
The incident hajipening at so singular a time 
caused much connnent in the Quav house- 
hold. 

It is the belief that Senator Quay did not 
lake either Senator Penrose or Israel W. 
Durham into his confidence, or make them 
acquainted with the fact that he had selected 
Knox to be his successor. There are reasons 



138 



Pciuisvk'aiiia and Its I'liblic Men. 



for believing, however, that Senator Penrose 
had an inlvling that his future colleague was 
to be Knox. 

Richard (Juay, "the son of his father," delib- 
erately threw away the chance of becoming 
the new Senator through Governor Penny- 
packer's appointment. The story revolving 
around this scion is an interesting one. 

The Quay family was divided upon the 
question of young Richard succeeding. While 
his mother was an ardent and strenuous ad- 
vocate of it, his sisters were equally opposed 
to it. The latters' opposition was based, 
strange to say, upon the green-eyed monster 
of jealousy. Their sister-in-law was not a 
prime favorite with them, and the thought 
that as the wife of a United States Senator, 
even though that senator was their own 
brother, she would enjoy social precedence 
over them, was not to their liking. Rich- 
ard Quay had two other strong and dip- 
lomatic supporters in Col. Sam Moody, the 
dead Senator's lifelong friend, and in Billy 
Wright, his private secretary. The two latter 
had much to do with the arrangements for 
the notable funeral. They saw to it that in 
the procession to the cemetery Governor 
Pennypacker should not ride in the same car- 
riage with a candidate for the senatorship ; 
hence John P. Elkin and George T. Oliver 
were placed in a carriage together. 

After the ceremonies, and the mourners and 
the great throng of notables that had gath- 
ered from all sections of the State were leav- 
ing Beaver, Secretary of the Commonwealth 
McAfee urgently advised Governor Penny- 
packer to accept an invitation that had been 
extended by George T. Oliver that he ac- 
company him to Pittsburg and spend the night 
at his home. 

Colonel Moody succeeded, however, in up- 
setting this plan, induced the Governor to 
remain in Beaver, and accept the hospitalities 
of his own home as his guest. 

That evening the crucial question of who 
should be appointed was discussed with the 
Governor. Mrs. Quay added her voice to 
that of Colonel Moody and Mr. Wright that 
Richard Quay should be the one named. 

Strange to relate, young Richard fought the 
proposition. He told the Governor that he 
didn't want the honor, admitted that he was 
not fashioned by nature to be a politician or 
a statesman, and expressed the opinion that 
it would be impossible for him to be elected 
by the legislature for the full term. 

Notwithstanding these objections, which 
could not be refuted, Governor Pennypacker 
stated that he was prepared to name him to 
fill the office until the legislature would act, 
and the question was thus settled. Imme- 
diately after the funeral the big contracting 



powers of the Republican party of Pennsyl- 
vania began to move and act. Philadelphia 
was the center of the activity, and there gath- 
ered the Allegheny leaders headed by George 
T. Oliver, H. C. Frick, and \\'illiam Flinn. 

Ex-Senator J. Donald Cameron came to 
Philadelphia from New York. The big lead- 
ers had learned in the meantime of the deter- 
mination of Governor Pennypacker to ap- 
point Richard Quay, and they were violently 
opposed to his thus honoring the dead Senator 
through his son. 

But the dead man's son held the key to the 
situation, and it was necessary to eliminate 
him before anything could be done. 

Two days after the funeral Richard Quay 
received a telegram to come to Philadelphia 
and meet some of the friends of his late father 
in the office of President A. J. Cassatt in the 
Pennsylvania Railroad office. 

Both his mother and his wife pleaded and 
begged him to ignore the telegram and re- 
main in Beaver. They told him that they 
had the Governor's promise, and that all he 
had to do was to wait for the Governor to 
act. They suggested to him that if he went 
to Philadelphia he would be either induced 
to get out or compelled to give up a large 
amount of money. These women's tears and 
pleadings had no weight with him, however, 
and he calmly remarked : "I guess -I will 
go." and go he did. Ex-Senator Cameron 
had been informed by wire of the promise 
that had been exacted from Governor Penny- 
packer, it can be said, and William Mont- 
gomery, cashier of the Allegheny National 
Bank, Senator Quay's confidential and finan- 
cial friend, was also informed of it. 

At the now famous gathering in the office 
of President A. J. Cassatt, when the sena- 
torship was settled and conferred on Philan- 
der C. Knox, there were present in addition 
to Mr. Cassatt. H. C. Frick, J. Donald Cam- 
eron, George T. Oliver, and Richard Quay. 
The elimination of the younger Quay was not 
a difficult matter, since the senatorship, he 
honestly believed, was too big for him. H. C. 
Frick, it can be asserted, could have had it, 
but he would not consider it. Then George 
T. Oliver was taken up and he, too, turned 
from it as he declared he was not prepared 
to put up the money that an election by the 
legislature would cost. The cabal then turned 
to Senator Quay's own selection, P. C. Knox, 
who was then in President Roosevelt's cabi- 
net, and he was agreed upon. 

There is no doubt that certain of them had 
been acquainted by Senator Quay that Knox 
was his choice. 

Governor Pennypacker. being released from 
his promise as to Richard Quay and assured 
by the magnates who had been in council that 



Pciiitsxlz'ania and Its I'liblic Men. 



139 



Knox was Senator Quay's own choice, lie 
gracefully acquiesced in it. Hail not Knox 
thus been hurriedly chosen by the men whom 
I have named, there would have been a strug- 
gle within the party for the Quay succession. 
as the friends of John I'. Eikin and William 
Flinn were prepared to enter the field. 



John R. Wiggins 

Builder 

W hat can be said about this prominent con- 
tractor and politician which is n(jt already well 
known to the reading pulilic? He first saw 
light of day on .\ugust lo. 1S64. and received 



Had an Elephant on His 1 lands 

Hon. John li. l-"aunce piloted the House 
from the Speaker's chair in iStS^. He was not 
only one of the ablest, but one of the best liked 
presiding ofliccrs the House had ever had. 
The consequence of this popularity was that 
a big purse was raised with which to buy him 
a present that was to be a record breaker. It 
was determined to give him a silver service 
and the silversmiths of Philadel])hia and Xew 
N'ork were visited in search of the "real thing. " 
At Tiffany's in Xew York the "real thing" 
was found. It comprised a full table service 
of many solid pieces, a huge punch bowl and 
ladle, spoons, knives and forks and. in fact, was 
one of the most elaborate the renowned firm 
had ever made. 

It had been ordered by a financial nabol) 
whose name was almost a household word. 
but for some reason declined to buy it. Tbr 
price to him was to have been $1,600, but tlu 
representative of the Pennsylvania Legislaturi 
secured it for Si. 100. the firm charging tbr 
"cut price" to its advertising account, since it 
was expected that the present would receive 
wide publicity. And so it did. 

The newspapers printed quite lengthy and 
detailed descriptions, and after the presentation 
at the close of the session the testimonial was 
shipped to Speaker Faunce's residence in Phil- 
adelphia. The very night of its arrival, burg- 
lars attempted to do business, their cupidity, 
of course, having been excited by the glowing 
description of the gift which the newspapers 
had published. Public business at the wind- 
up of the Legislature detained Mr. Faunce 
in Harrisburg. and when he finally got home 
he found the family completely upset, that 
his wife had employed a watchman for the in- 
side of the house and one for the outside. 
"Great Scott." said Mr. Faunce. "I am like a 
man with an elephant on his hands." Here 
was the costly prospect of establishing a pav 
roll for private watchmen to guard the present 
whose presence in his home was now known 
to the thieves' world and which he did ntit 
relish. The iflea then suggested itself to Mr. 
Faunce to rent a vault from a Trust and 
Safe Deposit Company, which he did. and the 
silver service was deposited therein and kept 
there for manv vears. 




his primary education in the public schools of 
Philadelphia, and subsequently attended the 
Peirce Business College. The trend of his 
mind being in the direction of building and 
contracting, he started in business in this 
chosen field in 1885. since which time he has 
been eminently successful. He has erected 
some of the largest buildings in Philadelphia, 
and if we were to cite each and every one of 
them, this article would read like a city direc- 
tory. Space forbids a comi)lete list. We have, 
therefore, got to content ourselves by making 
mention of just a few of the most prominent, 
among which stands forth the Philadelphia 
ICIectric Light Building, at Tenth and Chest- 
nut Streets, the new Municipal Hospital, the 
Institution for Feeble-Minded Epileptics at 
Spring City. Pennsylvania, and a large num- 
ber of others. Mr. Wiggins is a senior mem- 
ber of the firm of John R. Wiggins & Com- 
pany: is director of the Hamilton Trust Com- 
pany and Master Builder's Exchange : is 
president of the Edouard Hotel Companv. and 
is an ex-director of the Twenty-nintli Section 
.*>chool Board of Philadelphia. His favorite 



140 



rcjiiisylraiiia and Its Public Men. 



recreations are yachting and aut(jnioljiling. He 
has traveled very extensively in Europe, Egypt, 
West Indies. Bermuda Islands- and throughout 
the United States. He is Lieutenant Colonel 
and an Aide-de-Camp on the staff of Governor 
Edwin S. Stuart, and was for a long period 
Treasurer of the National Republican League. 
He is at present President of the Pennsylvania 
State League of the Republican Clubs and of 
the Young Republicans of Philadelphia. Col- 
onel Wiggins is a staunch Repulslican in 
])olitics, and in religion is a Methodist, in 
addition to which he is a prominent and in- 
fluential member of the Union League of 
Philadeli)hia. Columbia Club, Lincoln Dining 
./Club, Philadelphia Yacht Club and Philadel- 
.-/ phia Country Club. 



How Hughey Mackin Passed a Bill 

Tames H. Randall, the jiolitical detective, 
before he hung up his hat on the weeping 
willow tree of Philadelphia, was a resident 
of Schuylkill, his father, the Hon. William 
M. Randall, having been a distinguished 
member of the State Senate from that coun- 
ty from 1865 to 1873. For ^ number of 
years he was a conductor on the Philadel- 
phia and Reading Railway. This brought 
him in contact with the Harrisburg states- 
men and their passes, for in those days every- 
body who had even a remote connection with 
politics was able to command a railroad pass. 

Randall tells the story that one Friday he 
was bringing a train down from Harrisburg 
to Philadelphia and it was filled with poli- 
ticians and officeholders returning from the 
Legislature. "Hughey" Mackin. a famous 
Democratic member from the Quaker City, 
was on the train, and when Conductor Ran- 
dall came to him he said : "Jim, do you 
feel like doing me a favor?" "Why, yes." 
was the reply. "Well, you know pretty nearly 
everybody who holds an 'annual' on this road. 
Now, there are a lot of fellows on this train 
who are traveling on the passes of members 
of the Legislature. Won't you just lift them 
and collect fare. It will be a great joke?" 

Now, it so happened that "orders" had re- 
centlv come from the president's office for 
conductors to be more careful in looking at 
passes as the habit of loaning them had be- 
come entirely too prevalent. Randall prom- 
ised Mackin that he would look after them, 
and he did. to the great consternation and 
disgust of those who were holding borrowed 
passes, thinking that it would be safe enough. 
The upshot of the matter was that Randall 
took up a handful of "annuals." "Wlien the 
train reached Pliil.-idelithia." said Randall, 



"'Hughey' asked me to meet him in a saloon 
at Thirteenth and Callowhiil Streets, where 
the depot was then located." "How many did 
von get ?" he inquired. "Twenty-eight, " said 
[im. "Will you mind if I take down the 
names of those to wdiom the passes belong?" 
be asked. This Mackin was permitted to do. 
"Now I am going to ask you to do me still 
another favor." said the Sixth Ward states- 
man. "You are not obliged to turn those 
])asses in. You collected fares on them and 
you have done the proper thing by the road. 
^'|)U just let me have that bunch of passes 
and I will assure you upon my word as a gen- 
tleman that they will not be given to any 
])erson but the rightful owner." 

.-Mthough this was stretching the matter 
Randall says that he handed the package of 
passes over to Mackin, who promised to re- 
port about them at the end of the following 
week. 

Mackin was true to his word. The follow- 
ing Friday when the Harrisburg train arrived 
in Philadelijhia Mackin said to Conductor 
Randall: "I want you to go with me. I've 
got a little business between us." 

Having attended to his official duties of 
handing in his report and money and don- 
ning the civilian dress, Mackin conducted 
Randall to a clothing store and fitted him out 
in the best suit that the house afforded, be- 
sides rigging him out with a lot of haber- 
dashery. They then adjourned to a hotel and 
there Mackin said : "Jim, I am deeply in- 
debted to you in that matter of those passes. 
It enabled me to clean up a stake of $10,000 
at Harrisburg. I had a bill there that was 
stuck in the House. Some of the fellows had 
got on to me and were holding out. Well, 
wdien I went to them and said that I had in 
my possession their Reading 'annuals' that 
had been lifted by order of President Gowan 
and that I was smart enough to .get possession 
of them and good-natured enough to return 
them and keep them from getting in bad odor 
with the company, and perhaps blacklisted, 
tliev just wilted and came down off their 
high horses. There was enough of them to 
|)ass mv hill bv a scratch, and I am now eter- 
nally in vour delit." 



T succeeded in shocking the legal fraternity 
of Lackawanna in the Scranton Times by a 
description of three judges who were on the 
county bench, and at the same time greatly 
amusing the laity. I said of them : — 

One can't hear a damn. 

One don't care a damn. 

.And one don't know a danni. 



Pciiiisyk'aiiia ami Its I'lihlic Men. 



141 



Hon. A. Louden Snowden, LL.D. 

A, l.oiukii Siii>\vi1lii. llic present I'rosiiliiit 
of llic Honrd of Coniniissioners of I'airmount 
Park. I*liilaik'l]iliia. formerly minislcr to 




Spain, (ireece. Romnania. and Sorvia. is one 
of the foremost citizens of Pennsylvania, with 
a line of ancestry dating hack to the first 
.settlers of Xew Kngland, and in Pennsylvania 
antedatinjj hy many years the landing of 
W'iili.am I'enii. .\s a .statesman, orator, and 
a writer, he is one of the most distinguished 
men of the country. He received a prelimi- 
nary academic education and entered Jeffer- 
son (now Washington ami Jeftersnii College) 
in Western Penn.sylvania. from which insti- 
tution he received the degrees of .M. .\. and 
LL.D.: sul)se(|uently was graduated from the 
law department of the L'nivcrsity of Penn- 
.sylvania. and was duly admitted to the har. 
He afterward hecanic registrar at the United 
.States Mint, and was promoted to the chief 
coinership, which position he held until if^77. 
when he was, witiiout solicitation, appointed 
Postmaster of Philadelphia hy President 
Grant. He was returned to the -Mint service 
as su])erintendent by President Hayes, after 
having twice declined tlie appointment of 
Director of all the Mints, voluntarily ten<led 
him by the same President. It was during 
Colonel Snowden's incumbency of this office 
that the present hi.gh efficiency of the up-to- 



date machuu-ry used m the in^tuution was 
installed. U])on his resignation in 1S85 he 
rightfully said, "] leave the best e<|ui])pe(l 
mini in the world." .\s an effective and elo- 
(|uent public speaker, be has few ecpials. 
Colonel .Snow<len occupies .a prominent jjosi- 
tion in the literary and social life of the city, 
and is a prominent member of the .American 
Pliilosophical Society, St. .\ndrews, Pbiladel- 
])hia Club, L'nion League. He was at one 
time President of the l-'ire .Association, and 
for two years he was President of the United 
I''ire Underwriters of .America. Had he given 
certain pledges (ieneral .Snowden could have 
been the successor of the Hon. William .A. 
Wallace in tlie Senate of the United .Stales, 
and it can be said of him that he sacrificed 
a career in that body through principle. He 
is President of the l-"airmount Park Commis- 
sion. 



Samuel J. Yarger 

Pluladclphia 

S;inniel j. ^■arger is a m;ni of massive build 
and is ;i conspicuous figure in ;inv assemljlage. 




When this sketch was written he was touching 
the seventy-second mile stone, and was, phys- 
ically, as perfect a man of his age as could be 
foimd in his native city. His fatlier, a i)roduct 
of the Pennsvlvania (lermansof Berks Countv, 



142 



rcjiiisvli'LUtia ami Its Public Men. 



lived to be eight}'. He was a carpenter and 
moved to Philadelphia some time before the 
birth of Samuel J., which event occurred in 
the old district of Spring Garden, December 
4, 1837. What education the latter received 
was knocked into him by "Old Mike" Ma- 
guire, a famous pedagog of the Coates Street 
Grammar School. He was then put to the 
paper hanging trade, at which he employed 
himself as apprentice and master for fifteen 
years. Like many of the young men of his 
period, he was an active and enthusiastic vol- 
unteer fireman, being a member of the Em- 
pire Hook and Ladder Company, and served 
with it until the advent of the Paid Fire De- 
partment. When Fort Sumter was fired on 
he was one of the first to respond to the first 
call of President Lincoln for volunteers, en- 
listing in the Seventeenth Pennsylvania Regi- 
ment, which was commanded by Col. Frank 
Patterson, a son of the famous Gen. Robert 
Patterson. The regiment was employed 
around Washington and in defending the Cap- 
ital after the first battle of Bull Run. LTpon 
being nnistered out Mr. ^'arger returned to 
Philadelphia and went into the wall paper 
and paper hanging business. He began to 
to take an active part in politics from his first 
vote, which was cast for Millard Fillmore for 
President. Later on he received an appoint- 
ment in the appraisers' stores of the Phila- 
delphia Custom House and, continued there 
until 1879, when he was elected to the Legis- 
lature from the Twentieth Ward. This was 
the famous Pittsburg Riot Bi 1 Legislature. 
He was re-elected to the session of 1882. Mr. 
Yarger voted for J. Donald Cameron to suc- 
ceed his father for United States Senator, and 
for John INlitchell, the compromise candidate, 
although he supported Harry W. Oliver of 
Pittsburg. He then retired from active poli- 
tics and embarked in the retail coal business 
at Eleventh and Hamilton Streets. He is 
now engaged in the manufacture of wire 
staple machines at 460 North Twelfth Street. 
Mr. Yarger is a member of the Royal Ar- 
canum, the Senate of Sparta, the old Volun- 
teer Firemen's Association, and the Veteran 
Firemen's Association, and of Charity Lodge 
No. 190. F. and A. Y. M. 

Mr. Yarger is noted for his strong social 
characteristics and his attachment to friends 
and old associations, and is "a man among 



George McCurdy 

Lawyer and Legislator 

George McCurdy. President of Common 
Council of Philadelphia, and in which capac- 
ity he has served since 1900, is an accom- 
plished parliamentarian, an incisive and pleas- 




I. Newton Pettis, of Pennsylvania, the 
carpet-bag Senator from Louisiana, in intro- 
ducing Speaker Col fox to a political meeting 
in Pittsburg, said : "Allow me to introduce 
mv friend and fellow-statesman, Schuvler 
Co! fox." 



ing speaker and successful lawyer. On his 
father's side he is of Scotch ancestry, and 
upon the maternal of French Huguenot. He 
was born at Jersey Shore. Lycoming County, 
Pa., and is the son of Thomas and Anna A. 
He received an excellent education under the 
care of private tutors who prepared him for 
admission to Lafayette College, from which 
he graduated in the Class of 1884. In col- 
lege he was noted for his oratorical abilities, 
and in the junior year took the first prize in 
the Junior oratorical contest, one of the high- 
est honors of the college. In 1885 he made 
Philadelphia his permanent home, and. choos- 
ing the law for a profession, entered the offices 
of the late George W. Biddle. as a student, 
being admitted to practice in 1888. He con- 
fines himself exclusively to civil law. He has 
been admitted to the Superior and the Su- 
preme Courts of the State. L^pon taking up 
his residence in Philadelphia Mr. McCurdy 
identified himself with the Republican party, 
and his activity and prominence led to his 
election to Common Council from the Tenth 
Ward in Februarv. 1896, and he has been con- 
tinuously re-elected. In 1900 Mr. McCurdy 
was honored with election as president of 



Pciiiisyk'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



143 



that body to till the uiu-xpirc-d term of Wcncil 
Hartnian, who rosignod to becoiiic sheriff. 
Because of the ability and courtesy as a pre- 
siding officer he has shown, he has continued 
to succeed himself. Mr. McCurdy was real 
estate deputy under Sheriff James L. Miles, 
and in 1909 was appointed to the same posi- 
tion bv -Sheriff Gilfillan. 



Dr. Elmer E. Brown 

It is with a keen sense of pleasure that the 

autb'ir h:\< tn refer in commendatory tones 




to the subject of this sketch. Dr. Elmer E. 
Brown, who has a rei)Utation not only through- 
out the city of Phila<lelphia, but throughout 
the entire State of Pennsylvania, for integrity 
and honesty in professionalism and commer- 
cialism. His factory premises are located at 
McKean and Meadow Streets, where employ- 
ment is given to a large force of skilled op- 
erators. Born on May fi, 1861, on the farm 
near the old Brick Meeting Mouse, Mary- 
land, in his infancy he was brought to Penn- 
sylvania, and received his primary education 
in the Soldiers' Orphans' Schools. He then 
took a complete scientific and medical course 
under private tutors, and subsequently gradu- 
ated as a doctor in the old Jefferson Medical 
College at Philadelphia. Dr. Brown embarked 



in the active ])ractice of his profession, but 
the bent of his mind being in the direction of 
conunercial pursuits, he, in 18S7, engaged in 
the foundry business, whicli. through his own 
individual and unaided efforts, he has built 
up to be one of the largest and most impor- 
tant in the country. The business is conducted 
under the firm name of E. E. Brown & Co., 
but the Brown half is the sole proprietor. 

Dr. Brown has never been actively engaged 
in the political arena, but bringing to bear 
his natural business instincts, be has been a 
factor in lending his very hearty co-operation 
and support to build up Philadelphia's inter- 
ests. Dr. Brown, besides being so prominently 
identified in the foundry business of which 
he is the head, is also president of the follow- 
ing well-known companies: Buchanan Foun- 
dry Co., Brown, I"ry & Co., Cedar l-'arm Co., 
and \"ice-President of the Temple University 
Samaritan Hospital, Garretson Hospital, Di- 
rector of the Peoples' National Fire Insurance 
Co., W'aterbury Foimdry Co.. President of the 
National Sash Weight Manufacturers' .\sso- 
ciation, and is Chairman of the Executive 
Committee Philadelphia l-'oundrymen's Asso- 
ciation. 

Dr. Brown is a member of a number of 
well-known clubs and orders, and in the 
social life of the city he is just as much ad- 
mired and esteemed as he is respected in 
the conmiercial world. 



Lines Recalling John Malony, Esq. 

There's many a thing in a fellow's life. 

As he walks life's road so stony. 
That's hard for him to understand. 

Remarked Counsellor John Malony. 
I've invited folks to a planked shad spread, 

On (iloucester's shore so tony. 
The gall they've had to say me nay. 

Because the shad was bony. 
I've asked my friends to the blooming bowl. 

Dittman, Hudson. Smith, and Mahoney, 
On a red-hot day ; how surpassing strange 

To hear them call for a "pony. " 
.•\nd to the shades of the Rat Killers 

I've said — ^"Come and join Malony 
In a tight little lunch to tide us o'er: 

Disgustins^ly they've asked for bologna." 
And in politics there's curious things. 

In a soliloquizing mood, observed Malony, 
How often do we witness the sight 

Of a fellow going back on a crony. 
At the bar of the court strange things are seen, 

When men are tried for fe-lony : 
This one will get that and that one get this, 

Most singularly, remarked John Malony. 

— S.\M Hudson. 



144 



Pciiiisxlz'aiiia and fts I'lihlic Men. 



Hon. James P. McNichol 

James P. McXichol is one of a cotorie of 
political leaders who have made the Repub- 
lican organization of Philadelphia famous 
throughout the length and breadth of the 
United States. In the creative and construc- 
tive business world dealing with gigantic un- 
dertakings he has likewise made a fame for 
himself, linking his name with those of Par- 
sons and McAdoo of New York. Coming 
from a family of contractors he has lived to 
immortalize, as it were, the family name by 
the boldness of his achievements. Born for 
large undertakings he will leave behind two 
great inasterpieces as monuments in the city 
of his nativity — the colossal filtration plant 
at Torresdale and the world's finest subway — 
that under Market Street between the two 
rivers. His rise from a humble beginning as 
a contractor has not been meteoric, but, upon 
the other hand, of slow, patient, and grailual 
growth dependent upon the growth of the city 
and the installation of modern public improve- 
ments. His operations have not been con- 
fined to Philadelphia alone, but have included 
private and corporation work, particularly 
railroad construction in other States. There 
is no man in the country who carries more 
lighdy such tremendous business responsibili- 
ties and political cares, and never taking a 
vacation beyond a few days spent at the Sara- 
toga races, he is a marvel to those who know 
hi'n how he is thus enabled to "carry the 
white man's burden" without serious impair- 
ment of his health. He attributes it to a 
sunny disposition and a capacity for throwing 
off care and harassment such as would break 
down the ordinary man. Mr. McNichol was 
born in 1S64 in the old Tenth Ward, Phila- 
delphia, and as his name bespeaks of Irish 
parentage. He drank at the fountain of 
knowledge in the public schools, and was pol- 
ished off as a graduate of the Northwest 
Grammar School at Fifteenth and Race 
Streets. Determining upon a business rather 
than a professional career, he then took a 
special course at one of the noted commercial 
colleges of the city, whereby he became a 
master of business and arithmetical detail and 
technique such as is essential to a contractor 
in estimating and figuring upon work and fol- 
lowing specifications. Both his father and 
his uncle were contractors, but it was from 
the latter practical man that the future polit- 
ical leader and contractor king derived his 
ideas as to the possibilities of the contracting 
business on a colossal scale. Even then he 
was imbued with an ambition for the accom- 
plishment of big constructive things, and 
looked far beyond the paving of a street or 
the construction of a sewer. He formed a 



partnership with his younger brother, Daniel 
J., under the firm name of D. J. McNichol & 
Companv. The new firm was intended to 
compete for municipal work such as the pav- 
ing and repairing of streets, the construction 
of sewers, and the grading and making of 
new streets, the city then expanding in all 
directions except the east, where flows the 
Delaware River. This was before the era 
of smooth asphaltum paving, and cobblestones 
from the headwaters of the rivers were uni- 
versally used in street construction. The first 
contract of the young firm was the grading 
of several small and unimportant streets, and 
from that humble beginning with two horses 
and carts and a small pay-roll of laborers, the 
business has reached its gigantic proportions 
of to-day. including snbsiduary companies and 
corporations. The firm, it might be said, dates 
back to 1890. When the street car service be- 
came doomed and was discarded for the elec- 
tric system, it marked the tlate when the firm 
of D. J. McNichol & Company began to take 
on its wondrous growth. During the years 
1893, 1894, and 1895, a vast amount of street 
re-surfacing was contracted for, both by the 
city and the public service lines, and during 
that time the firm's aggregate amount of con- 
tract work reached the sum of $6,000,000. 

While James P. McNichol was succeeding 
as a contractor, he was at the same time 
strengthening his lines in politics. His father 
was a Republican and he followed in his po- 
litical footsteps in his choice of party. He 
began to dabble in politics even before he cast 
his first vote, and he possessed the inherent 
love of his race for the political game. 

Upon the death of ex-Sheriff William R. 
Leeds he succeeded to the Republican leader- 
ship of the Tenth Ward, which gave him a 
place in the party councils and paved the way 
for his rise to great political power. He was 
elected to a seat in Select Council in 1898. 
He became one of the active and controlling 
spirits of that body, serving upon important 
committees. The agitation for a better and 
modern water supply for the city began in 
1898. and public opinion was divided as be- 
tween bringing the supnly from the head- 
waters of the Delaware River or the installa- 
tion of a vast filtration plan. The control- 
ling powers of the city finally determined upon 
the latter during the administration of Mayor 
.Ashbridge. In 1901 the plans and details 
were prepared for the invitation of bids. Mr. 
McNichol had determined to bid upon this 
stupendous operation, the largest of its kind 
in the world, and which was unfamiliar to 
American contractors. In order to qualify 
himself as a memlier of the firm which was 
to enter the competition, he resigned his seat 
in the Select Council. To the Senator and 



I'ciiiisyi'rania ami Its I'uhlic Men. 



145 



his tiriu were awanlcd Tuarly all the contracts 
for till' installation of this niaiiunoth plant, 
approximately in all. representing; the sum of 
$26,000,000. The construction plant alone 
represented millions. Thousands of men and 
Inindreds of teams were employed. .\ minia- 
ture town was huilt for the housinf; of the 
employees. Railroads and locomotives for 
hauling purposes were used, and if ever there 
was a l)usy beehive of human industry on this 
earth, it was witnessed here during the years 
the work progressed. 

Senator McXichol looked upon this as his 
crowning achievement and masterpiece, and 
for years gave it his personal attention day 
by day. employing, too. the best special talent 
the country afforded. Adver.se political con- 
ditions ensuing, the great work was suspended 
by Mayor John Weaver, and the courts called 
upon to pass upon the matter, resulting in the 
complete vindication of the firm, the city suf- 
fering great monetary loss and the people 
being deprived of filtered water for an un- 
necessary period. Instructed to hasten the 
completion of the contract. Senator McXichol 
bent all his energies to that end. and soon 
after the dawn of 1909 witnessed that event. 

And then came his second masterpiece — tlu- 
eastern section of the Market .Street subway 
pronounced by engineers to be the best exam 
pic of its kind in the world. Work upon this 
was begun June 4. 1906. and it was o|)ened 
for through train service on .August 3. 190H 
The operation was com])leted far in advance 
of the time expected by the directors of the 
I'hiladelphia Rapid Transit Company, and 
Senator Mc.Xichol's Construction Compan\ 
received a handsome bonus. The entire nias> 
of concrete work in the construction is e(|uiva 
lent to 700.000 cubic yards, and the steel and 
iron used aggregated 12.000.000 pounds. One 
of its greatest features is that it is absolutely 
dry. It is not a tunnel or a tube, and is the 
only modern untlerground system built exclu- 
sively by private enterprise. In 1904 Mr. Mc- 
Xichol was elected to the State Senate from 
the Third District, and at once took a com- 
manding position in that body, and in 190S 
was re-elected. .At both sessions he declined 
to accept the Chairmanship of Committees, 
preferring that others should enjoy the honor. 
When Israel W. Durham was forced by ill 
health to relinquish the leadership of the Re- 
publican organization of Philadelphia, in 1905. 
Senator Mc.Xichol assumed the responsibilitv. 
and after the political revolution had swept 
the city in that year he reformed the party 
lines, and it is due to his genius and aggres- 
sive method^ that the organization was re- 
stored to power in every department of the 
city government. Senator McXichol has been 
the target of more abuse and newspaper criti- 
10 



cisin than any i'ennsylvanian of recent years, 
with the exception of .Senator Quay, but it 
has been ineffective either in destroying his 
|)olitical power or in souring his good nature, 
lie is noted for his clean life, his love of 
family, and a good horse. lie was a delegate 
to the Re|)ublican .National Conventions of 
1900. 1904. and 1908. 



Daniel J. McNichol 

Daniel J. Mc.Xichol is almost as well-known 
as bis distinsjuished brother, lames P.. in the 




Contracting world, and he has been associated 
with him as a jjartner since the great business 
was established. His name is known to the 
great public through the colossal enterprises 
with which the firm has been identified, as the 
firm bears hisi individual name. He is a na- 
tive of the old Tenth Ward, and was born in 
1873. I lis principal education was received in 
the old .Xorth Kast (irammar School. It was 
natural, coming from a family of contractors, 
that he should choose that branch of human 
industry for his life work, and the story of 
his career is told practically in that related 
above, as it is so intimately identified with it. 
Mr. McXichol is a perfect master of the de- 
tails of the contracting business, and is a man 
of tireless energy. It can be said of him that 
he is one of the most successful voung busi- 



146 



Pciinsxli'iiiiiii and Its Public Men. 



ness men of the City of Philadelphia, if not 
of the country, being yet this side of forty 
years of age. He is noted for the sunshine in 
his disposition, which makes him, as it might 
be said, a universal favorite with all with 
whom he comes into contact, both in a busi- 
ness and a social way. He is a keen lover 
of clean and healthy outdoor sports, and is a 
liberal patron and promoter of them. He has 
a basket bail and foot ball team named after 
him. A writer in the Philadelphia Sunday 
Dispatch said of him : "Among the Quaker 
City's bright young men whose career is mak- 
ing material for Philadelphia's future histor- 
ian and W'hose deeds will shine forth in a 
practical way for more lasting and refulgent 
than the home recorded in the books, is Daniel 
J. McNichol." 

A Gun That Kicked Leeds 

Back in the days of the old Gas Trust's 
domination of Philadelphia politics, the big 
leaders used to tell a good story at the expense 
of ex-Sheriff William R. Leeds, then the 
leader of the Tenth Ward, or "Bie Old Re- 
liable," as it was termed. And in passing it 
can be added that back in the "forties" the 
Tenth was the strongest native American ward 
in the city. Its leader now is a man who be- 
longs to a church which the native Americans 
fought. 

At a municipal election Sheriff Leeds was 
much concerned for the safety of his Council- 
manic candidates, and in order to help out he 
contracted for the importation of a gang of 
repeaters from Wilmington. They happened 
to be a sorry lot, and their over-night instruc- 
tions as to the localities they were to work in 
had made but little impression on them, owing 
to their frequent visits, to the saloons. On 
election morning in the first division that 
they began work in they got their tickets 
badly mixed, which circumstances gave their 
business away to its watchful Democratic 
leader. With an eye to business, this man ap- 
proached the "heeler" who had the gang in 
charge and threatened to stop their crooked 
business, unless he would consent to their re- 
peating for one of the Democratic candidates 
for Council. Rather than have his importa- 
tions arrested and his contract fail, he con- 
sented to the arrangement. The crooked votes 
were then allowed to go into the box, and the 
"traveling salesmen," or repeaters, were fol- 
lowed bv the Democratic leader, who saw to it 
that the contract was kept. The Democrat 
was elected, and became a noisy and con- 
spicuous reformer in the City's Councils, and 
gave the Repulilican leaders pains and aches. 
He posed as a reform oracle, and made himself 
so strong that he was returned at the succeed- 
ing election by a handsome majority. 



Hon. J. Hampton Moore 

J. Hampton ^lioore has arisen from a news- 
|)aper reporter to be one of the most talked 
(if men in Congress. He has accomplished 
this through sheer ability and push, as he is 
not a favorite of boss politicians, and he rep- 
resents a district in Congress which was for- 
merlv sold to rich men bv them. He is a 




native of Gloucester County, New Jersey, hav- 
ing been born there in 1864. He is a cousin 
of the author of this work. In 1881 he drifted 
into newspaper work and was attached to the 
staff of the Philadelphia Ledger, becoming its 
labor reporter, which, at that period, was an 
important field. He was not a brilliant writer, 
but he was painstaking and thorough and re- 
liable, three great requisites. He had a lik- 
ing for politicians and a way of cultivating 
successful and important men. His social 
qualities predominated, which was greatly in 
his favor and brought him into popularity. 
He received his first lift in politics through 
the kind office of the Hon. Harry F. \\'alton, 
who secured him the position of Chief Clerk 
to City Treasurer Richard G. Oellers in 1894, 
and which he held for three years, when, he 
resumed tiewspaper work. He took an active 
part in Samuel J. Ashbridge's campaign for 
Mayor, and was rewarded by being appointed, 
in 1900. his private secretary. Mr. Moore 
proved himself of such value to Mayor Ash- 
bridge, who, admiring his manly qualities, 



rciinsxh'auia and lis I'lthlic Men. 



u: 



(Icniamlcil his nomination for City Treasurer, 
his election following. In 1896 Mr. Moore 
was in close touch with Mark Hanna, and 
through a great mass meeting exploited by 
him in the Academy of Music, did much to 
arouse interest in the boom for William Mc- 
Kinley for President. His term as City 
Treasurer expiring, he engaged in the adver- 
tising business until he was appointed, in 
1895 by President Roosevelt, Chief of the 
Bureau of Manufacturers in the newly created 
Department of Commerce and Labor. After 
a service there of about a year he was in- 
duced to accept the Presidency of the City 
Trust and Safe Deposit Company of Phila- 
delphia. This institution had been gutted by 
a "Xapoleon of Finance," and its solvency 
was impaired when Mr. Moore took charge of 
it. He was unable to save it, and it closed 
its doors. He was then appointed its Re- 
ceiver, in 1905, and for some years has been 
engaged in winding up its complicated affairs, 
and so successfully that the depositors will 
receive nearly all the money due them. He 
was now in the public eye, and upon the death 
of George A. Castor, Representative in Con- 
gress from the old Sam Randall district of 
Philadeljjhia, he was chosen his successor in 
the Fifty-ninth Congress, although he was 
not then a resident of the district. 

Mr. Moore signalized his entrance into Con- 
gressional life by reviving the old project 
of an inland waterway to connect the Xew 
England States with Key West by means of 
existing canals. Long Island Soimd, the Dela- 
ware River, Chesapeake Pjay. and the sounds 
of the Carolinas. Through his untiring ef- 
forts a Congress of rejiresentatives from the 
States interested and from commercial bodies 
was held in Philadelphia in Xovember, 1907. 
and a permanent organization formed. This 
he intends to be his monument, and the grand 
project is now within realization. Mr. Moore 
is the founder of the Five O'Clock Club, a 
celebrated dining organization. .\ member of 
the Pen and Pencil Clul), he was the re- 
cipient of a complimentary dinner at its hands 
upon his election to Congress. He is a stock- 
holder in the Tammany Sea Shore Fish 
House, one of the oldest clubs in the country. 
Mr. Moore is one of the most promising 
young men in public life to-day, clean in his 
habits and politics and a master of business 
detail. He was President of the Allied Re- 
publican Clubs of Philadelphia, 1900- 1906: 
President of the Pennsylvania .State League of 
Clubs in 1900-1901 ; President of the National 
Republican League of Clubs in 1902-1904. 



Harry C. Dunlap 

Master Printer 

Harry C. Dimla]) has devoted a long and 
busy life to the "art preservative of all arts," 
and is at the hea<l of one of the largest job 
printing establishments in the United States, 
lie was born in 1S42, in Philadelphia. The 




\'an P.uren characterized political patron- 
age as ''the firm and intrepid step of the jack- 
ass toward the peck of oats." 



chances tor a schooling were denied him be- 
cause of poverty, and at twelve years of age 
he began a boy's work in a job printing office. 
Self-educated, he mastered the intricacies of 
the trade in a masterly fashion, since at the 
age of twenty-one we find him the manager 
of one of the largest printing establishments 
of the city. A man of splendid business and 
executive ability, he was acknowledged in the 
trade to be an expert. In 1S80 he decided to 
go into business for himself and established 
the Dunlap Printing Company, which has 
been prosperous and expansive from the start. 
He is a master printer in all of its branches, 
a fact of which he is very proud. For many 
years Mr. Dunlap was active in the politics 
r)f the city as a Republican, and for a long 
lime was the party leader of the Thirteenth 
\\ ard. He was a conspicuous member of the 
Common Council from 1876 to 1882. and par- 
ticipated in the exciting political battles that 
stirred the city prior to and after the advent 
of Bullitt city charter. Mr. Dunlap has 
printed the ballots used in the city elections 



148 



Pciiiisxli'aiiia and Its I'ltblic Men. 



since the conie-in of the Australian Ballot 
Law. He is a member of secret and social 
organizations, and one of the organizers of 
the Mutual Republican Club of the Thirteenth 
Ward. No history of the politics of Phila- 
delphia could be written that ignored him. 
He is a man of many lovable traits, who 
numbers his fritnds by the legion. 



William J. McCarter 

Philadelphia 

William J. McCarter is an active business 

man who seeks relaxation in the excitement 
of politics. 

I:i igo8 he was nominated for the Legis- 




lature in the Seventeenth District, embracing 
the Twenty-fourth, Thirty-fourth, and Forty- 
fourth Wards, Philadelphia, by the Republi- 
can organization. The district was fighting 
ground, and it was the aim of the party lead- 
ers to redeem it, a fusion of the City Party 
and Democrats having carried it two years 
before. Mr. McCarter was selected to suc- 
ceed the Hon. John O. Sheatz, who had been 
elected State Treasurer, and who was a man 
of independent jiolitical proclivities and who 
was claimed by the Reformers. It was one of 
the very few legislative contests in the city 
that attracted widespread attention in that 



campaign, and it was waged with great ear- 
nestness on both sides, culminating in a vic- 
tory for Mr. McCarter and his colleagues on 
the ticket. The McCarter family is genuine 
Scotch-Irish, a race which has so largely as- 
sisted in developing Pennsylvania and making 
her great. The elder McCarter is a man 
of prominence in the southern section of Phil- 
adelphia, and has devoted his life to the occu- 
pation of a master builder. He removed to 
West Philadelphia after the birth of William 
J. The latter received a liberal education, 
and upon attaining his majority became as- 
sociated with his father under the firm name 
of McCarter & Sons, real estate brokers and 
builders. They carried on operations of great 
magnitude, and have done more to build up 
and embellish with stylish modern dwellings 
the section known as the Fairmount Park 
Front than any other operators. The firm has 
an established name among the master builders 
of Philadelphia. Mr. McCarter is a brother- 
in-law of Joseph Gilfillan, Sheriff of Phila- 
delphia. He is a member of various societies, 
and of the Hamilton Club and the Twenty- 
fourth Ward Republican Club. His friends 
look upon him as a rising man in politics and 
a future leader in public affairs. 



James Hulton 

Huhon Dyeing and Finishing Company 

Some men through their individual capacity 
ra])idly make strides toward success and ac- 
complish things which would appear to be al- 
most phenomenal, and it may be truthfully said 
that the subject of this sketch, Mr. James 
Hulton, is one of the men before referred to. 
Eighteen years ago he came to this country 
from Radcliffe, Lancashire, England, unknown, 
and his only resources consisted of his knowl- 
edge of dyeing fabrics, which he had learned 
in the mother country. Nothing daunted him 
in his perseverance, and he showed his abil- 
ity in this direction, and the Americans, quick 
to recognize the merits of his work, soon 
swamped him with orders, until to-day Mr. 
Hulton is the President of the Hulton Dyeing 
and Finishing Works, which have grown to 
occupy several buildings on Jasper Street, 
covering an entire city square. It has often 
been said of Mr. Hulton that he was the 
pioneer in Philadelphia of this industry. 
Anvwav. to-day he is recognized as a leading 
authority and expert. It is not the purpose 
of this book to be eulogistic, but in passing 
we cannot refrain from adding that the sub- 
ject of this sketch is in all respects justly 
entitled to the prominent position which he 
is accorded in this work. 



Pcinisyl:'(iiiia ami fis Public Mm. 



149 



Capt. John C. Delaney 

lolin Carroll Delaney was born in Ireland. 
April 22. 184S: came 10 America when five 
vears old. XVhen eif^ht years old commenced 
picking slate at mines near Scranton. I'a. ; 
two years later lie <lrove mules on the Dela- 
ware and Hudson Canal: at twelve he ground 
hark in a lannerv. owned hy the renowned 




Jay Gould: in the winter of 1862 he enlisted 
as a private in Company I. One Hundred and 
Seventh Pennsylvania X'olunteers. and for 
meritorious services was several times pro- 
moted, heing in comnian<l of his company at 
the close of the Rebellion : was captured at 
Bull Run. Ciettysburg. and Yellow Tavern, 
but each time made his escape: for con- 
spicuous gallantry at Dabney's Mill he was 
awarded a Congressional medal. .After the 
war he attended Kingston Academy one term, 
worked with the Lehigh \'alley engineer corps 
from I.S66 until the road was completed: for 
his distinguished services President Johnston, 
in 1867. appointed Mr. Delaney a Second 
Lieutenant in the Thirty-second L'nited States 
Infantry, but for family reasons he declined 
the honor. In recognition of political services 
rendered he was. in 1873. appointed messen- 
ger in the Executive Department by Governor 
Hartranft. where he remained until 1879. 
when he was made Senate Librarian, in which 
capacity he served until 1890, resigning then 



to accept a jMsition of Receiver of Public 
Moneys at (jklahoina. serving until his res- 
ignation was accepted by President Cleveland 
in the fall of 1893. when l:e at once returned 
to Pennsylvania: was connnissioned Super- 
intendent of Public (>roun<ls an<l Buildings 
by (iovernor Hastings. March j8, 1895, and 
served until .\pril 24. i8()9. He was ap- 
pointed h'actory Inspector by (iovernor 
I'ennypacker. February 3. 1903. Ca]>tain 
Delaney is a born politician and political 
strategist. He has for a (pianer of a century 
been connected with the inside confidential 
work of State and National Rei)ubliean cam- 
paigns. Elsewhere the stories of his activi- 
ties and successes are told. 



The Brewing Interest of Pennsylvania 

The growth of the brewing industry in 
Pennsylvania has not only been ijhenomenal 
and substantial, keeping i)ace with the in- 
crease of |)opulation and the expansion of 
cities and towns, but the business has even 
outstri|)i)ed this in order to meet the demands 
for exixirtation into other States, demands 
created by the enterprise of her brewers and 
the employment of vast capital. 

Pennsylvania has afforded a congenial and 
natural field for this develo|)nicnt of the malt 
litpior industry, because her broad domain and 
her tolerance invited the German immigrants 
with tinir liberal views as to personal libertv 
and the use of malt li(|uors. instead of the 
more stringent spirits favored bv the new 
comers of other Ivuropean countries and by 
the natives themselves. The Pennsylvania 
Germans, who began coming before the Revo- 
lution and settling in the counties of Lehigh. 
Xorlhamijlon. Berks. Dauphin, and Philadel- 
phia, particularly, founded a race that has 
exerted a marked and potent influence upon 
the State (iovernment. and held in check the 
blind and selfish demands of the fanatic and 
religious bigot. It is a singular fact that the 
most relentless and tireless enemies of the 
German and his beer in the Commonwealth of 
Pennsylvania have been the !scotch and the 
Irish, and their descendants, who are notori- 
ous as consumers of ardent spirits as races, 
and belong to the religious denomination 
founded by John Calvin. It is to this denomi- 
nation, broken into sub-divisions through 
theological fpiarrels, that the attemnts to re- 
peal the I'.lue Laws of T794 have invariably 
failed, although the most violent and noisv 
branch of it. to wit : the L'nited Prcsbvterian 
Church, which is strong in the western por- 
tion of the State, holds it in its peculiar creed 
lo be heresy for its members to exercise the 
freeman's right of voting and taking part 



150 



Pcnnsxh'aiiia ami Its Public Men. 



in the Governnicnt. It has hcen only within 
recent years that the paramount ])olitical au- 
thorities of the State have had the temerity 
to resent and oppose the demands of this par- 
ticular church denomination, always the ag- 
gessor, and its allies, the Methodists and the 
Baptists, for State wide prohibition and its 
twin brother, Local Option. Still, the poli- 
ticians are possessed of a fear of the church 
vote, since they decline to re])eal the moss- 
covered Blue Laws, notwithstanding that 
modern conditions of life so urgently demand. 
Their Law and Order Societies continue to 
flourish in the cities, but they now only spas- 
modically show evidences of life, and are 
largely kept alive by professional grafters. 
who find in them an easy means for good 
livings. 

In Philadelphia, however, the denomina- 
tional influence is strong enough to prevent 
Sunday sacred concerts for the people with 
paid admissions, the clergy fearing that they 
w'ould become formidable rivals to tlicir 
church establishments. 

The last submission of State wide prohilii- 
tion to the people in the "eighties" was forced 
upon the weak and trembling Simon Cameron, 
wdio was then the State boss, and after a 
campaign of extraordinary activity the propo- 
sition was rejected by a decisive majority, and 
that contributed (as we have inferred) largelv 
by the Germans and their descendants in 
Eastern Pennsylvania. 

While there has never been State wide 
prohibition in the Keystone State, it has been 
in force in certain counties and detached 
townships and boroughs through special 
laws enacted by the Legislature prior to the 
Constitution of 1874. In a number of the 
wards of Philadelphia special local option 
laws applied, and although submitted to a 
vote of the people every four years, they in- 
variably failed to carry and, finally becom- 
ing an instrument of venal politicians to reg- 
ularly blackmail the liquor trade, the demand 
became so insistent for their repeal that the 
Legislature of 1903 expunged them from the 
statutes. 

The experiences of counties like Potter and 
Perry with prohibition proved what a fraud 
and travesty and State revenue robber the 
principle is. leading to the creation of a race 
of sneaks and law breakers, the manufacture 
of drunkards, the dissemination of poison in 
the shape of cheap and adulterated whiskies, 
and the multiplication of unlawful "speak- 
easies" and "blind tigers" provocative of vio- 
lence and murder. Popular sentiment finally 
refused to longer tolerate such a burlesque of 
the law and hot-houses of crime, and the spe- 
cial laws were repealed by the Legislature. 

\\'ith the growth of the cities and indus- 



trial zones, together with the huge immigra- 
tion of recent years, all hope of State wide 
prohibition has faded, wdiile prohibition State 
and local tickets have attracted but insignifi- 
cant votes. In 1905 a local option agitation, 
wdiich had had its inception in Indiana and 
Ohio, was started by a pious and speculative 
adventurer named Nicholson, while other ad- 
venturers pre-empted neighboring States. 
This movement bore the name of the Anti- 
Saloon League. At the session of the Legis- 
lature of 1905 the State superintendent of this 
league haunted the halls and corridors of 
the State Capitol, vainly seeking a member 
who would introduce his Local Option Bill, 
but at the session of 1907 he was more fortu- 
nate. 

The measure was fathered by ^Ir. Craven 
of Washington County. In the interval be- 
tween the sessions the lea.gue had been ex- 
tremely active and alert. A complete organi- 
zation plant was established at Harrisburg. 
which worked largely through the clergy and 
the churches. The brewing interests of the 
State were put upon the defensive to protect 
the millions they had invested from confisca- 
tion and ruin as well as to preserve an in- 
dustry legalized and acknowledged by the 
State, and employing thousands of men. Both 
sides appealed to the Legislature by petitions, 
signed or approved by thousands. The peti- 
tions against far outnumbered those in its 
favor, and were signed by voters, while those 
of the Anti-Saloon League represented, to a 
great extent, the "sotto voce" votes of church 
congregations and Sunday Schools and a few- 
temperance organizations. Eminent law-yers 
attacked the constitutionality of the measure 
(notably Mr. Lyman J- Gilbert), while repre- 
sentatives from Personal Liberty Leagues and 
the German-American Alliance, as well as lib- 
eral-minded clergymen, opposed it with pres- 
ence and voice. 

The House Committee on Law and Order 
reported the bill with a negative recommenda- 
tion. The superintendent of the league, a 
shrewd and experienced politician, lobbyist 
and legislature strategist, then effected a 
"log-rolling" combination between the Local 
Option section and the members representing 
organized labor, numbering twenty-two, and 
attempted to put the bill upon the ca'endar. 
This scheme lacked eight votes of being suc- 
cessful, although the vote did not re|)resent 
the true sentiment of the House. 

During the next two years the Superinten- 
dent of the Anti-Saloon League, who was the 
recipient of a salary of $10,000 per annum, 
reformed his lines and, encouraged by the 
prohibition wave sweeping some of the States 
of the South and the West, carried the fight 
into the primaries for the nomination of mem- 



Pcimsylvaiiia ami Its Public Men. 



151 



bers of the Legislature, and then finally into 
the election. The people of the State failed 
to elect a majority of the members of the 
Legislature favorable to the passage of a 
Local Option Bill. 

It is claimed that under the Brooks High 
License Law, which has served as a model 
for other States, and which led off in raising 
the license fee to the thousand dollar mark, 
communities have ample protection through 
remonstrances to the Courts and through the 
medium of license revocation for alleged 
cause. The practice prevails in the Courts 
to make no record of these revocations, 
which shuts the door against carrying them 
up to the Appellate Court, which is unfair in 
principle and dishonest in i)ractice. Without 
the revenue derived from the brewing inter- 
ests, amounting to millions, the State Institu- 
tions and the great charities, hospitals, and 
homes which appeal to the Legislature for 
support and aid, would be pinched or cast 
off entirely, while the loss in revenue would 
have to be supplied by the imposition of new 
and irksome taxes upon other industries and 
sources. 

The destruction of the brewing industry of 
Pennsylvania would be a business catastrophe, 
upsetting financial and industrial conditions, 
and would drive the people to the exclusive 
use of contraband and outlawed spirits, dele- 
terious to health, morals, and the wellheing 
of the Commonwealth. 



Raises the Ire of ihe Famous Tom Ocheltree 

I had the misfortune lo raise the ire of the 
famous Col. Tom Ocheltree, of Texas, upon 
a memorable occasion. 

L'pon the election of Col. James Rankin 
Young to Congress, he was complimented 
with an elaborate banquet at the old Bcllevue 
Hotel, which was attended by many distin- 
guished friends. Colonel McClure presiding. 
Among others I was called upon for a speech, 
and in noticing the more notable of the guests 
present, I marked the presence of Tom Ochel- 
tree. I then quoted from Henry W'atterson. 
of the Louisville Courier Joiirna'. saying that 
the famous blue grass editor had once said 
that if ever called upon to write the obituary 
of the equally famous Texan, he would thus 
indite : — 

''Here lies Col. Tom Ocheltree. He never 
did anything else." 

Colonel Ocheltree became flushed with 
anger, and while the company roared at the 
Kentuckian's witticism, he arose and at- 
tempted to get at me to do me violence. 

Later in the evening the difficulty was ad- 
justed over a bottle of champagne. 



Jesse T. Vodges 

Elngineef 

Jesse T. \'odges is a figure in the public 
and social life of Philadelphia. He was born 
in that city June 27, 185S, and received his 
early education in the public schools and 
under private tutors. He subseqtientlv took 




a course a= civil engineer, and entered into 
the practice of his profession in 1880, and 
was early recognized as a man of no ordinary 
ability: and while his clientele was a very 
large one, he, on February 11. l8g8. accepted 
the appointment as Chief Engineer and Su- 
perintendent of Fairmount Park, a jjosition 
which he continues to hold. He has been 
prominently identified with the Republican 
party since attaining his majority, and is, in 
all respects, a stalwart. He is active in the 
politics of the Twenty- fourth Ward. He is 
a prominent and active member of the Co- 
lumbia Club. Merion Cricket Club, Bache- 
lors' Boat Club, and of the Masonic Frater- 
nit\'. In both public and private life Mr. 
\'odges is universally resi)ected and esteemed. 
The development and beautification of Fair- 
mount Park, the largest municipal park in the 
world, is largely the work of his .skill and 
care. 

President Garfield: "T am for a govern- 
ment of law and an army strong enough to 
maintain it." 



152 



J'ciuisyiz'Oiiia and lis I'lihllc Men. 




Charles W. Soulas 



Charles W. Soulas was born February 2. 
1850, at Hanover. Germany. At the age of 
thirteen he was induced to come over to 
Philadelphia at the invitation of his uncle. 
He was accomiianied by his mother and 
brother, his father having died a few years 
after his birth. They settled in Philadelphia 
and Charles and his brother were put to 
school in order to master the English lan- 
guage. .'Vt the early age of seventeen we 
find him working in a restaurant which was 
located under the old postoffice at 239 Dock 
Street, then he went to List's restaurant in 
1871. and stayed until 1876 in this capacity, 
and then became proprietor of this well-known 
restaurant, staying until 1893. His natural 
instinct and ability soon showed themselves, 
for in these vears he became proprietor of the 
famous hostelry which he still successfully 
conducts at the Rathskellar in the Betz 
Building, and which is a rendezvous of the 



famous men, not only of the city, but also 
of the country, many well-known faces hav- 
ing been observed sipping wine at mine .gen- 
erous host's tables, and many important po- 
litical deals have been consummated here. 
Mr. Soulas's name and fame as a restaurateur 
is almost as familiar as the Pub'ic Buildings. 
J\lr. Soulas is a prominent and influential 
member of the Historical Society. Franklin 
Institute. Department of Archeology. Free 
Museum of Art, and belongs to eighteen Ger- 
man societies. He is a free and accepted 
Mason, member of the B. P. O. E. and Young 
Reputilican Club. Penrose Club, and has been 
identified with politics since attaining his 
majoritv, and has always been a stalwart 
Republican. He married Bertha Lindig. and 
has an issue of ten children. Mr. Soulas is. 
in all respects, a self-made man. and it is 
with pleasure that the history of his life is 
recorded in these pages. 



Pciiiisylz-oiiia and Its I'liblic Men. 



15: 



William Eisenbrown 

l^eople's Police Magistrate 

TluTc has never been a police magistrate in 
I'hiladclphia who is more unpopuhir with the 
political talent and more popular with the 
people than William Eiseiibrown. He has 
been elected for five terms by the people in 
defiance generally of machine leaders and ad- 




herents. He IS a Oeniocrat ami a dernian. 
and when first tempted to aspire for office 
against his protest and inclination, he was a 
prosperous milk dealer in the First Ward. 
.\ story will illustrate the character of the 
man. S'ears ago the Democratic party lacked 
a candidate for City Councils in his ward. 
"I don't want to be elected," he said, "but 
to hold the ])arty together I'll make the run." 
His strength with the people amazed the poli- 
ticians. On election night his reports indi- 
cated to his disgust that he was elected. He 
dropped into a polling place where the vote 
was being counted. The judge said to hini, 
"The devils in the Dusty Hill division have 
added forty votes to the count of the Repub- 
lican candidate. Now we have added that 
number to your vote here, as we arc deter- 
mined that you shall not be robbed of this 
election." 

'"See here, boys. I won't stand for that. 
Take those forty votes off. If I'm to be 
elected that wav I shall not onlv refuse to 



accept the olTice. i)iu wi.l i)rnsecule you under 
the law. " 

Seeing that he was dctermine<l. the election 
officers then gave him his true count. He was 
declared defeated by thirty-three votes. In 
1882 a vacancy existed for i)olice magistrate. 
The Republicans nominated lames I.. Brown 
of the First Ward, and ClilTord Cadwalader. 
bookkeeper in the Controller's office, was 
slated to be the Democratic candidate, a 
First Warder, but he flunked. lusenbrown 
was talked into the nomination. When the 
delegates assembled they found the hall hatl 
not been paid for, and were locked out. They 
reijaircd to the City Committee headcptartcrs, 
and Eisenbrown was nominated. Subse- 
(juently George Hull, I^emocratic City Chair- 
man, refused to call the City Committee to- 
gether or to make a campaign. He thought 
it useless. Finally he did, and Eisenbrown 
was assessed $400. This he refused to agree 
to, but he slapped down his check for $1,^00 
to pay for the printing of the tickets, and said, 
"The other expenses I'll pay myself." The 
conmiittee then adjourned si)ic die. throwing 
up the fight. But luscnbrown wasn't built 
that way. He believed he could be elected, 
and he was as full of. fight as a he cat. Colo- 
nel McClure prevented the Committee of One 
Hundred from endorsing him. and although 
he had paid for the insertion of a "vest 
pocket " ticket in the Tlmi\<; with blank space 
on the rever.se side so that it could be cut out 
and voted, thus obviating a sticker, McClurc 
refused to print it on election morning and 
his money was returned. Election day there 
was a heavy downi)our of rain that washed 
down his stickers from the polling places, and 
independent voters were shy of coming out. 
That night I-2isenbrown went home with three 
cents in his pocket and a new mortgage on 
his house. .\t midnight he was awakened and 
told he had been elected. During the night 
500 votes were fraudulently changed in the 
Twenty-seventh \\'ard, under the (lirection of 
Ell Rowan, and the next morning he discov- 
ered that that was the extent of his defeat. 
His marvellous run without organization aid 
astounded the politicians and Colonel Mc- 
Clure. 

The Democratic leaders the next year be- 
sought him to be a candidate, but he solidly 
refused, and again the following vcar. In 
1885 he was finally persuaded to accept the 
nomination. Upon the day he took ofticc he 
sold his profitable milk business, declaring 
that a man elected to a responsible office 
should devote his whole time to its ditties, 
having no side lines. Five days thereafter 
he was solicited bv his ward leaders to do an 
illegal act. He bluntly refused, and left the 
gathering with their curses ringing in his 



154 



rcmisvlraiiia and Its Public Men. 



ears. He went home and wrote his resigna- 
tion, placed it in an envelope, and addressed 
it to Governor Pattison. He reasoned that if 
his continuance in office required him to com- 
mit criminal acts and degrade himself, he 
would not hold it. As he was approaching a 
letter box the next morning to mail the resig- 
nation he encountered the late Robert S. Pat- 
terson, the Democratic ward leader. He told 
him what he was about to do. Patterson 
pleaded so strenuously that he withhold it for 
a day and see him at his office, that he con- 
sented. At the meeting Mr. Patterson frankly 
admitted he had been wrong in his contention 
and that Eisenbrown was right, and said if he 
would destroy the resignation he would never 
ask him to again do a wrongful action. In 
1896 when the Hog combine and the Ward 
Leaders' League of the Republican party went 
to war in Philadelphia, and each nominated a 
candidate for sheriff, there was a contention 
between the two factions of the Democracy 
as to the advisability of making a straight 
Democratic nomination for sheriff. The 
straight outers held a convention in the Acad- 
emy of Music, and nominated William Eisen- 
brown for sheriff, while he was seated in his 
office oblivious of the (jroceedings. William 
M. Sin?erley and other leading Democrats 
advised him to stick. He believed, however, 
that the Hog combine, then in control of the 
city, should be defeated, and he didn't propose 
to be used as an instrument to keep it in 
power. When his intention to withdraw as 
a candidate became known he was offered 
$23,000 to stick, and when that sum did not 
teiiipt him it was intimated that the figures 
would be raised to $50,000. He declined the 
nomination and Alexander Crow, the anti- 
Hog combiner was elected by a great ma- 
jority. This will serve to show the character 
of William Eisenbrown, and there are other 
instances. Controller Walton demanded of 
the police magistrates that they make a sup- 
plementary report .showing from their dock- 
ets warrants they had issued gratuitously, and 
fines that had been remitted, and demanded 
payment for the same. This action threw the 
magistrates into consternation and. holding a 
meeting, they decided to comply, all but 
William Eisenbrown. He declared the con- 
troller was wrong, and he would not obey. 
The controller angered, threatened to with- 
hold his salary, and did. Eisenbrown con- 
tended that a magistrate had prerogatives be- 
yond the controller, and demanded an opinion 
from City Solicitor Kinsey. This not being 
forthcoming, he then requested that he and 
the controller join in a case stated, and take 
the matter before the court. Finally the so- 
licitor sent for them and explained that the 



reason why he had not given an opinion was 
because he could find no parallel case, and 
that there was nothing to be found bearing 
on it. 

"Gentlemen," he said, "I will hear you and 
then attempt to decide." Eisenbrown con- 
sented with the reservation that if the decision 
was against him, he would himself bring the 
matter before the court. Both sides were 
heard. Eisenbrown contended that a magis- 
trate was within his rights if he issued a war- 
rant to a person too poor to pay for it, and if 
extenuating circumstances existed he could 
lawfully remit a fine. He cited the case of 
Judge Gordon who, sitting as a committing 
magistrate in Quarter Sessions Court, had 
issued a warrant gratuitously. Kinsey declared 
in favor of Eisenbrown. and the controller 
subsequently learned that he was wrong, and 
signed the withheld warrants for his salary. 
There have never been any more supplemen- 
tary reports exacted of magistrates. The Law 
and Order Society was in the habit of prose- 
cuting bakers for baking bread on Sunday, 
and, under the old Blue Laws, magistrates 
imposed fines. A number of bakers were 
taken before Magistrate Eisenbrown, wdio 
discharged them, he claiming that the law 
in this application was unconstitutional. 
Magistrate Eisenbrown was inspired in this 
l)y a decision of Judge Cooley, of California, 
who had declared that a justice or magistrate 
has a right to declare a law unconstitutional, 
and that such was his duty, as the action 
began with him. 

A decision given by Magistrate Eisenbrown 
gave him a national reputation. 

The Philadelphia Press printed a sensa- 
tional story that the cashier of the Girard 
Trust Company was an embezzler and had 
fled the jurisdiction. The report, a street 
rumor, had been brought into the Press office 
after midnight, and had not been properly 
verified; and, in fact, was an atrocious libel. 
Charles Emory Smith, editor of the Press, 
was arrested for criminal libel. He was out 
of the city at the time the story was printed 
and had no personal knowledge of its pub- 
lication. It, however, was the universal prac- 
tice of prosecuting the responsible editor. 
John G. Johnson, representing Mr. Smith, 
made a feeble defense, which so disgusted the 
magistrate that he took him to task. He held 
the case under advisement and later gave an 
opinion, discharging Mr. Smith upon the 
ground that no man could be held criminally 
for an action performed in his absence and 
without his knowledge. The case was ap- 
pealed to the Supreme Court, which sustained 
the magistrate. 



rciiiisyh'aiiia and Its I'liblic Men. 



155 



William McCoach 

The widely popular Ki-publican leader of 
the 'riiiriielh \Vard. who is now serving his 
second term as Internal Revenue Collector, 



in 1S94. and served the city most admirably 
until i'ehruary, 1903, when he was succeeded 
l)v William |. Crawford. 




needs lUJ elaborate introduction t<j the citizens 
of Philadelphia. Mr. McCoach was highly 
endorsed for renomination l)y President 
Roosevelt, and was the recipient of letters of 
high esteem from the department for the way 
in which he has handled the atYairs of the 
Internal Revenue De])artment. lie is also 
very active in Masonic circles. 

One cause of William McCoach's popularity 
with the masses as well as the classes, is the 
entire abnegation of self when an occasion 
arises when he can, by extra labor or an earn- 
est use of his powers of diplomacy and busi- 
ness acumen, improve the condition of less 
successful but e(|ually deserving men with 
whom he has been thrown in business contact. 

h'roni I1S83 to 1903 he was a prominent and 
ever-energetic member of the city legisla- 
ture. He was first elected to the Connuon 
Council. There he represented the people and 
the Republican party so well and faith fidly 
that it was perfectly natural, when the o])por- 
tunity was finally offered, in 1891, he defeated 
Captain Thornton for Select Council nomina- 
tion, and was elected, nothwithstanding a 
vigorous Democratic and Independent oppo- 
sition. He was re-nominated and re-elected 



Thomas Wmfield South 

Thomas W'inlield South was born at Laurel, 
Ohio, October I. 1847. His father was a 
physician and was a comjjanion of (leneral 
(irant in his early days in Ohio. In 1863 
the subject of this sketch enlisted in the Union 
army with the 153(1 Ohi(3 X'olunteers. but 
soon afterward was discharged at his father's 
request by reason of his youth, and returned 
to school. In 187J he came to Philadelphia 
and entered the enn)loy of Henry Disston, the 
famous manufacturer of saws, at Tacony. 
He became the manager and general a.gent of 
the real estate of the firtn of Henry Disston 
^^ Sons, and did nnicli to improve the growth 
and beauty of Tacony. He was practically the 
originator, and was made a director of the 
.Suburban Ivlectric Company and was also one 




of the promoters of the Hoiiiirvliurg. l-ratik- 
ford & Tacony Electric Railway, and organ- 
ized the Tacony Building and Loan Associa- 
tion, of which he was treasurer for twenty- 
two years. During General Wagner's term as 
Recorder of Deeds. Mr. South was appointed 
an index clerk, and later made special agent 



156 



I'ciuisxlz'aiiia ami lis J'uhlic Mat. 



in the United States Internal Revenue (Dffice. 
He served five terms as a jiolice magistrate, 
having been first elected in 1875. Under 
Mayor Weaver's administration, be was a]i- 
pointed as Assistant Director of Public Safely, 
which office he filled with distinction and suc- 
cess. He now occupies the position of chief 
clerk of the Board of Mercantile Appraisers. 
Mr. South is a devoted and enthusiastic sports- 
man, and spends a portion of each year in 
Florida with gun and reel. 



William F. Wilkins 

Fire Marshal 

William F. Wilkins is an important part 
and parcel of the great firc-fiehting macliine 




of Philadelphia. lie is entrusted with the 
investigations of the causes of fires, and is 
regarded as a terror by the professional '"fire 
hugs" who kindle incendiary fires in order 
to secure the insurance, and has driven them 
practically out of the business. His birth 
date was July 16, i860, and Philadelphia was 
the place. He received a primary education 
in the public schools, and through the poverty 
of his family was put to a trade at sixteen, 
that of shoemaking. Mastering his trade, he 
devoted himself to it until 1885, when by rea- 
son of his activity in the politics of the Tenth 
Ward, which has always been his home, he 
received an appointment to a subordinate po- 
sition from the Le.gi.slature, and which he 
held for five vears. During his residence at 



the State capital he became acquainted with 
many of the public men of the Common- 
wealth. His party services as a Republican 
enaliled him to command, in 1892, the position 
of de])Uty under Sheriff Clement, and which 
he retained under his successor. Sheriff Crow. 
Mr. Wilkins had long taken a keen interest 
in the city's fire department, and he might 
lie called a natural-born fire fighter, and it 
was greatly to his taste that he was appointed 
.\ssistant Fire Marshal, in 1901, under Mavor 
John Weaver. He remained in this position, 
serving the city with e.xtraordinary intelli- 
gence and fidelity, until IQ05, when the Citv 
Party captured the city, and he was dismissed 
for purely political reasons. In 1907 he was 
re-ap]iointed to his okl position. Mr. Wilkins 
is a member of Michael Lodge, F. A. M., 
.St. John Chapter, Philadelphia Commanderv, 
Fighteenth Ward Republican Club, the Will- 
iam R. Leeds Association, and is actively 
identified with a number of other social and 
political organizations. While an employee 
of the State and stationed at Harrisburg, 
Mr. Wilkins was a member of the Mt. \*er- 
non Hook and Ladder Co., of that city. 



How the Term "Speak Easy" Originated 

It was I who brought to F'hiladclphia and 
pojudarized the term "speak easv" as applied 
to illicit liquor joints. In the month of Alay. 
1889, I made a visit to Pittsburg. The 
Brooks High License Law had just gone into 
operation and a Pittsburg Court, presided 
o\er l)y Judge White, had created consterna- 
tion by reducing the number of drinking bars 
in that city to ninety-si.x. I heard frequently 
the term "speak easy" used in connection with 
the liquor situation while there, and I asked 
Tim O'Leary, a widely-known Democratic 
])olitician, wdio subsequently took me to one. 
for an explanation. 

He said that an old Irish widow, who lived 
in one of the courts of the city, and whose 
name I have unfortunately forgotten, began 
to supply her neighbors with beer and whiskey 
clandestinely. When her customers would 
become a little boisterous or noisy, the old 
woman would raise her finger deprecatingly 
and say, "Spake asy. now, the police are at 
the dure." This was the invariable note of 
warning by the old crone, and it came to be 
repeated, and finally "Spake asy" became as- 
sociated with the illegal liquor resorts that 
scandalously sprang into existence by the 
hundreds. When I returned to Philadel))hia 
I gave the name to the unlicensed joints, 
featuring it in the Ifcm. The term had an 
instantaneous success, being taken up by the 
people and the police, and it has been in uni- 
versal use ever since. 



I'ciiiisxk'aiiia ami Its I'lihlic Men. 



157 



Clinton Rogers Woodruff 

Publicist and Humanitarian 

Clinton Rogers Woodruff, of I'liiladelphia. 
is one of tlic foremost civic reformers, hu- 
manitarians, and publicists of the nation, and 
in these fields of endeavor his services are in 
incessant demand. The faniilv is of the Eng- 




lish line, emigrating from Nottingham. His 
father was the grandson of Capt. .Amos W ood- 
rutif, who was in the Continental .\rmy, Xew 
Jersey Line. He. in turn, was a descendent 
of John W'oodrulif, of Elizabethtown. X. J.. 
who was a descendent of John, who, coming 
from .Vottinghani. settled in Massachusetts, 
and then moved to Long Island. Upon the 
maternal side he is of the Pierces of Mary- 
land and X'irginia. who were connected with 
President I'ranklin Pierce. Mr. Woodruff's 
father. Charles Henry, is a Philadelphian. still 
living, and who was a prominent wholesale 
produce connnission merchant. Clinton F^og- 
ers was horn in Philadelphia. December I". 
1868. Graduatetl as .\. B. from Central High 
School, and as Ph.R. in iSSg. and L.L.P.. in 
1892, from the L'niversity of Pennsylvania. 
Married February 12. 1890. to .Anna Florence 
Miller. L'pon admission to the bar associated 
with W. I). Xeilson. Has been engaged as 
counsel in leading election and constitutional 
cases, including the List of X'oters case, the 
Party Square case, and the right of a gov- 
ernor to veto proposed amendments to the 
Constitution. Was special inspector of the 
Indian Department with Hon. Charles T. 
Bonaparte : Secretary and Treasurer of Mu- 



nicipal League, of Pl.iladelpliia, from l8g2 to 
1897, and its counsel from 1897 to 1903; Sec- 
retary of Xalional Municipal League since 
I1S94; (chairman of Joint Conmiittee for Pro- 
motion of Klectorial Reforms, 1900: member 
of Committee of Xational Municipal League 
to draft a municipal charter; member of Com- 
mission on L'niform Municipal .Accounting 
since 1900: of the E.xecutive Conmiittee of 
the Civil Service .Association of Civil Service 
Reform League since 1900; one of the .secre- 
taries of the American .Academy of Political 
and Social Sciences: N'estryman of St. Clem- 
ent's P. E. Church : member of Philadelphia 
Law .Academy and Law .Association: charier 
member of the .American Bar Association : 
counsel for American Society of Political and 
Social .Science and Civil Service: trustee of 
Union Benevolent Society, Philadelphia: 
President of Philadelphia Boys' Club : Presi- 
dent of .American Park and Outing .Art As- 
sociation from 1902 to 1904: Secretary of 
Lake Mokank International .Arbitration .Asso- 
ciation : Nice-President .American Civil Asso- 
ciation : X'ice-President N'oung Men's Hu- 
mane Work. -Mr. Woodruff has been an 
active and independent Republican, and served 
in the Pennsylvania Legislature from the Fif- 
teenth Ward from 1897 to 1900. He was a 
special inspector of the Internal Department 
in 1903-04: is a trustee of the Free Library, 
Philadelphia, and was recently elected Presi- 
dent of the .Sumiuer Church Union. Upon the 
creation by the Legi.slature of the Board of 
Registration Connuissioners, in 1906, to exe- 
cute the Uniform Primary Election .Act. he 
was chosen its i>resident and assisted in put- 
ting the law into practical operation in Phila- 
delphia County. 

Mayor Vaux's Hat and the Force Bill 

I was one of the very few reporters who 
possessed to a liiuited extent the confidence 
of that pictures(|ue and singular character, 
the Honorable Richard \'aux. He reserved 
for me a mouthful of that famous apple 
brandy which was approaching one hundred 
vears old. which had been presented to him 
bv an admirer up in Pike County. I was in- 
trusted by Col. Ike Hill, the Democratic whip 
of the House, to negotiate a delicate and pain- 
ful transaction with Mr. \'aux. When he 
came down to Washington to take the seat 
of Samuel J. Randall, the great Force Bill 
fight was on in the House, and .Speaker Reed 
was putting into effect his celebrated Reed- 
niade-rule of "counting a quorum." Party 
feeling was running dangerously high. I 
have sat in the reporters' gallery and heard 
distinctly Democrats of national fame, goaded 
to fury, apply the vilest epithets to the Sjieakcr, 



158 



rcinisvlz'aiiia ami Its Public Men. 



and which he, too, heard, without a twinge of 
countenance. 

The Democrats were filibustering to the 
limit. They would enter the hall, hang; up 
their coats and hats, and then disappear, aim- 
ing to leave the House without a quorum. .Mr. 
Vaux never was guilty of ever having worn 
an overcoat. He was, therefore, not obliged 
to visit the cloak room to deposit that gar- 
ment when he came to the House. He was 
always half an hour, at least, at his desk 
before the House was called to order, and 
would carefully lay his old dicer on the top 
of the desk and look over his mail. When 
the clock indicated the approach of twelve 
the Democrats would silently steal away, and 
among them would go the old Philadelphia 
mayor. But he would invariably leave his hat 
behind on the desk, and Speaker Reed, after 
the point of no quorum had been raised by 
some Democrat who was assigned to remain 
for that purpose, and the roll call disclosed 
the fact that there was no visible quorum 
present, would then begin his celebrated feat 
of counting one. He would catch a glimpse 
of the coat tails of a skulking Democrat, or 
detect the coat or hat of a member of the 
opposition hanging in the cloak room, and 
the Speaker became so adept at the business 
that he could recognize a Democrat by his 
overcoat or hat, and, calling his name, direct 
the clerk to record him as being present. 
Casting his eye in the direction of Air. Vaux's 
seat and seeing thereon the venerable head- 
gear of that gentleman, Mr. Reed v^'ould turn 
to the clerk and say, "Count Mr. Vau.x, of 
Pennsylvania, as being present." 

This unconscious habit of Mr. \'aux greatly 
angered the Democrats. Their "wdiip," Colo- 
nel Ike Hill, whose duty it was to reprove 
him, was really afraid, having heard so many 
stories of his irascibility, and knowing that 
he and I were friends, he sought me and im- 
plored me "for heaven's sake" to induce the 
old man to hide his "damned hat." That 
night I visited the Congressman at his hotel, 
and he told me about the recent death of a 
very near and dear relative. "Gad," said 
he, "I though so much of him that I feel like 
putting a black band on my old hat." This 
opportunity gave me a chance to discharge the 
mission that Colonel Hill had entrusted to me. 
I turned the conversation in the direction of 
Reed's quorum counting. The old man was 
hot at the Speaker's action, holding it to be 
both unconstitutional and an infamous usurpa- 
tion. "But you contribute to the quorum 
every day." said L "How?" he thundered. 
And then I told him. "By God. young man, 
I believe you are right when I come to recol- 
lect. But the blue-bellied Yankee shall not 
catch me again napjiing." 



The next day !Mr. \'aux was in his seat as 
usual, and there reposed his hat as usual. 
He had forgotten all about our talk. In a few 
moments the House would be called to order 
and the hat counted again. Colonel Hill was 
furious. I said to him, "Get me a page, 
quick." and the boy obtained, I took him to 
Mr. Vaux and said, "Mr. Mayor, here is the 
boy to take your hat to get the black band put 
on it." The situation flashed on him. and 
with a twinkle in his eye he handed the ven- 
erable relic to the boy who fled with it to a 
hatter's, while Speaker Reed, who was stand- 
ing by the Speaker's desk and observing the 
by-play, scowled like the prince of darkness. 
But he never counted that hat again. 



Walter S. Burns 

Banker and Broker 

Walter S. Burns, the subject of this sketch, 
is a Missourian by birth, having been born in 




the town of Independence on July 28, 1S61. 
He received his primary education in the pub- 
lic schools of St. Louis, ^Missouri, he having 
been taken there by his mother when he was 
but an infant. 

A common school education was all that fell 
to his luck. He began business with his 
father in 1876, where he learned the trade of 
liook-binding. remaining with him until 1888. 



Fciiiisxiz'aiiia and Its I'ltblic Men. 



159 



Abandoning this pursuit, lie was employed by 
the Provident Chemical Works in iS8<S, re- 
maining there until 1^-99. Seeking pastures 
new. he came to Philadelphia, when he estab- 
lished his present business, that of banking 
and brokerage, in which from the first he met 
with signal success, until to-day he is rated 
among those who deal in nothing but "gilt- 
cdgc investments." His specialty, however, is 
mining properties, and he numbers among his 
large and .steadily increasing clientele some 
of the largest investors in the city and the 
State. Mr. Burns maintains large and com- 
modious oflices in the Drexel Building, and is 
as much esteemed in a social way as he is 
prominent in banking circles. 

Old Customs in the Legislature 

A quaint and ante-bellum custom that jjre- 
vailed in the State Senate of Pennsylvania 
up to and immediately- succeeding the Civil 
War period — the wearing of the "shad-belly 
coat." or the now prevalent evening dress, bv 
Senators, has passed away. It was conformed 
to by all, although there was an exception in 
the case of Senator George Connell. of Phila- 
delphia, who was a cri|)ple and to whom the 
suit was distasteful. Tlie custom had come 
down from the early days of the (icneral 
Assembly, but with the advent of the decade 
of the "seventies," it fell into disuse. The 
real purpose of the Senators in thus aristo- 
cratically clad<ling themselves was a desire 
to draw a line of distinction between them- 
selves and the more plebeian statesmen of the 
lower house. 

The dress certainly added to their dignity 
and importance, and lent a color of pictur- 
esqueness to the body. The "shad-belly" coat 
with the brass buttons was, in ante-bellum 
days, the universal dress of the well-to-do and 
of the man who made pretensions of being 
a gentleman. In the old prints extant of fa- 
mous scenes in the United States Senate, it 
will be recalled that this was the regulation 
dress of the nation's statesmen. Then, too, 
there was a snuff-box that was attached to 
the clerk's desk in the Senate Chamber, at 
Harrisburg, and into which the Senators and 
attaches were privileged to dip. The snuff 
was always the best that the market could 
afford, and was kept fresh and scrupulously 
clean. 

.Another old and curious custom in the 
Legislature was that of the State supi>lying 
the members of both bodies with caniUes. 
The highest grade sperm candles were bought 
and they were given to the law makers to 
take to their lodgings, this being before the 
era of the oil lamp. It is said there was much 
grafting on this candle item, members ship- 
ping boxes of candles to their homes. 



Edward J. Lynett 

Editor, Scranton 

Edward I. I.ynelt, editor and publisher of 
the Scranton Times, is a native of Lacka- 
wanna County, Pennsylvania, having been 
born in Dunmore. The subject of this sketch 
was educated in the public schools. .At twelve 




years he was picking slate in Gipsy Grove 
breaker, and for three or four years continued 
in the service of the Pennsylvania Coal Com- 
pany, attending school, however, in the win- 
ter months. In 1S73 he secured a clerkship in 
the office of A. M. Renshaw. Clerk of the 
Mayor's Court for the City of Scranton. con- 
tinuing in that capacity until December I. 
1S75, when the Court died by constitutional 
limitation. During the following vear he was 
a student in the office of D. \V," & J. F. Con- 
nolly. 

His career as a newspaper man conmienced 
in the last week of July. 1877, when he became 
a reporter on the Sunday Free Press for three 
days a week at a weekly salary of $6.00. A 
few months later he was placed in full charge 
of this breezy paper, and enjoyed the distinc- 
tion of being the youngest editor in Pennsyl- 
vania, He remained with the Sinidax free 
Press until October 10, 1895, when he pur- 
chased the Scranton Times, of which he has 
since been in full control. 

The Times was established in 1S69, and for 



160 



Pemisvh'aiiia ami Its Public Men. 



the first <iiiartfr of a century of its existence 
had varying fortunes. It was a power at one 
time under the management of Aaron A. 
Chase, and later the versatile pen of P. A. 
Barrett made it a welcome visitor in thou- 
sands of homes. But in the early nineties it 
had fallen upon evil days. The Scranton 
Times now enjoys a circulation of over 30,000. 
and is recognized as one of the foremost 
newspapers of Pennsylvania. Among its 
equipment is a Sextuple Goss perfecting press 
with a capacity of 50.000 papers an hour, and 
seven linotvpe inachines. In connection with 
the newspaper there is a large job printing 
plant, which makes a specialty of fine print- 
ing in colors. 

Mr. Lynett has been all his life a Democrat, 
and his newspaper has always been a strong 
advocate of Democratic politics and supporter 
of Democratic candidates. He was a delegate 
to the Democratic National Conventions of 
1900 and 1908, and to many State conventions. 
Though never a seeker of office, he has filled 
several offices. He was appointed County 
Auditor at the establishment of Lackawanna 
County, and served in that office for four 
vears. He was School Director of Dunmore 
School District, and also served as Burgess of 
Dunmore Borough for two terms. In 1884 he 
was elected Secretary of the Scranton Poor 
District, and b)' subsequent yearly elections 
held the office for thirteen years. He also 
served a time as Director of the Associate 
Charities and Humane Societv. 



A Reporter's Scheme that Failed 

The attacks which the late Col. A. K. AIc- 
Clure made in the Philadelphia Tiincs upon 
the late Nathaniel McKay, of Boston, the 
nephew of the great New England shipbuilder 
of that name, who was the contractor for the 
removal of the old navy yard to League Is- 
land in the early "seventies," attracted the 
universal attention of the people of the city. 
Editor McClure charged that McKay was the 
head grafter of his time, and had diverted 
government property to his own uses through 
surreptitious sales and was pocketing enor- 
mous sums of money unlawfully. The attacks 
and exposures continued daily, and the town 
was considerably wrought up over the matter. 
McKay was as big a man physically as Colonel 
McClure: he was a born fighter. The feel- 
ing between the two men became so hot. and 
McKay smarting like a boiling lobster under 
the lash of the Times, that it cidminated in 
an attempt on the part of the Boston con- 
tractor to horsewhip the gallant Colonel on 
Chestnut Street. This sensational episode 
added to the intensitv of the situation. The 



Inquirer was disposed to favor McKay, and 
it was through its colunms that he was able 
to make reply or answer to the articles that 
appeared in the Times with aggravating per- 
sistence. 

I was assigned to look after the case for 
the Inquirer from the beginning, and formed 
a great liking for '"Nat" McKay, as he was 
called. Our friendship continued in Wash- 
ington, where he established himself as a suc- 
cessful lobbyist, and until the time of his 
sudden death after a foolish old man's mar- 
riage to a young girl who bagged the bulk of 
his money. The charges of the Times finally 
assumed such shape and phase that they could 
not be ignored at Washington. 

Congress was then in session, and in the 
House a resolution authorizing the Naval 
Committee to come to Philadelphia and make 
an investigation was offered and was adopted. 

The coming of this "smelling" committee. 
Mr. Witthorne, of Tennessee, as chairman, 
added to the public interest in what was then 
styled as the McClure-McKay feud. When 
it arrived the committee selected the old 
Girard House as the scene for its operations. 
Colonel McClure was summoned as a witness, 
together with a raft of others, to substantiate 
the charges. 

The committee decided that it would take 
the testimony in secret, which, of course, kept 
out the reporters, who were naturally indig- 
nant at this disbarment. 

I was then working on an evening paper 
in addition to the Inquirer in the morning. 
Trained and experienced reporters were much 
scarcer in those days than now. when a "kid" 
can be a reporter the first day of his employ- 
ment and a journalist on the second. 

Associated with me on the evening paper 
was Tames .S. Chambers, now the news editor 
of the Ledger, and who is one of the keenest 
and most competent all-round newspaper men 
in the country. We got our heads together 
and determined to hit upon a plan to tap the 
secret sessions of the committee. We had 
already made the acquaintance of each of 
the congressional investigators, and had failed 
dismally to estab'ish any "underground" con- 
nection with any of them. 

The sessions of the committee were to be 
held in a large room on the first floor of the 
hotel fronting both on Ninth and Chestnut 
streets. This location put an idea into our 
heads, the upshot of which was that I engaged 
for a week a room immediately above that oc- 
cupied by the investigation. The two news 
conspirators then carried tools to the room and 
ripped out two strips of the flooring which 
gave us access to the ceiling. We then made 
a small aperture in the mortar, having fixed 
upon the exact location by studying it from 



I'ciiiisxiz'aiiiii and Its I'lihlic Men. 



161 



the room below. The hole was concealed by 
a plaster cast on the ceiling, and from which 
hung a chandelier. This cast caught tiie 
little of the loosened mortar that escaped us. 
and the few particles which happened to fall 
into the room we adroitly removed, thus oblit- 
erating any cause for suspicion. We were 
then prepared for business. The only person 
whom we took into our confidence was the 
late Dennis Dealy. the proprietor of the paiier, 
who had a fit of laughing when we confided to 
him the secret, and who said: "Well, I didn't 
tell you to make the hole, nor I didn't sec you 
make the hole. You bring the news in and 
the paper will print it." 

The first day the committee got right down 
to business. We found, by putting an ear 
over the hole, we could hear perfectly every 
thing that was said below. We took turns of 
half an hour each at the game, then going to 
the office, leaving the hotel by the ladies' en- 
trance so as not to be noticed by the hotel 
clerks, we wrote out our notes. The i)aper 
that afternoon printed a complete story of the 
proceedings of the committee, questions and 
answers, the names of the witnesses and of 
the Congressmen who had interrogated them. 
The city editors of the other evening papers 
threw fits because of the extraordinary 
"scoop." and berated their reporters for their 
lack of vigilance. The committee was like- 
wise thrown into consternation and was an- 
grily mystified as to the leak. It was realized 
that no member could be guilty of leaking, as 
all were present at the .session and the news 
was on the street soon after the session had 
ended. 

The second day the paper again printed a 
faithful and elaborate report, and our scheme 
was working most beautifully. The other re- 
porters detailed to the investigation were 
sweating blood, and the committee swore each 
member to secrecy. 

On the third day I had completed my 
"watch" at the hole, and lim Chambers lia<l 
arrived to relieve me. .After I had departed 
for the office he stupidly thought the hole 
should be made a little bigger, and set to work 
to take out more mortar with his fingers. 

It so happened that a member of the com- 
mittee at that very moment, having nothing 
else to occupy his mind, sat vacantly staring 
at the ceiling. He noted a crumb of plaster 
fall from one of the ijlaster moulds in the 
ceiling, and then another. 

He quietly left the room and. going to the 
clerk's desk, inquired who occupied the rooms 
directly overhead. Consulting the reeister the 
clerk gave my name as the holder of the only 
room directly overhead. 

"Who is he?'' inquired the Congressman. 

"He is a newspaper man." was the replv. 
11 



"Then you go wi;h me to that room," he 
conunanded, and together Congressman and 
clerk went. 

They compelled Chambers to open the door 
on the threat that they would bring an officer 
and break it down. .Sir. Chambers then sur- 
rendered. ,\ glance sufficed for the commit- 
teeman to locate the leak. There was the 
torn-up floor and there was Chambers with 
his notes. A look disclosed the hole in the 
ceiling. 

The Congressman marched Mr. Chambers 
down into the presence of the investigators, 
to whom he was introduced as the culprit who 
was making the secret sessions of the com- 
mittee the laugh of the town. This created 
a sensation in the room, and when quiet was 
obtained the question arose what should be 
done with him. The lawyers on the commit- 
tee agreed that be could not be committed for 
contempt, and finally it was decided that he 
should be allowed to go on parole; but he was 
not troubled afterward. When I reached the 
hotel room again I found the door open and 
Chambers not at his post. Suspecting some- 
thing had happened, I went to the door of the 
committee room, where a crowd was as-sem- 
bled. and learned that Chambers had been 
caught. Thinking it a good time "for disap- 
pearing." I disappeared. 

If Chambers had been satisfied to have left 
well enough alone and had not attempted to 
enlarge that hole, we would have been able to 
have added another mystery to the world's list 
of mysteries, headed by "Who Struck Billy 
Patterson ?'' 



Richard Wain Meirs 

The vast real estate interests which Mr. 
!Meirs has charge of and which are known 
as the "Weightman-Walker-Estate," the pos- 
sessions of which makes Mrs. .Anna Weight- 
man-W'alker-Pcnfield the second wealthiest 
woman in .America, necessarily makes the 
subject of this sketch one of the busiest 
men in Philadelphia. He saw his natal 
day in .Monmouth County. Xew Jersey, in 
1866. and received his early education in 
the Eastburn .Academy and the Freehold 
Institute at Freehold, X. J. He subse- 
quently was entered at the Princeton Univer- 
sity, and graduated therefrom in 1S8S. He 
then entered the employ of the I'ourth Street 
Xational P.ank of this city, and after serving 
there with distinction, he formed a connection 
with the Xew A'ork banking house of Harvev 
I'isk and .Sons, remaining with them until 
iqo;. when be took charee of the Weightman- 
\\"a'ker estate. Mr. Mrirs is well aiifl favor- 
ably known bnth in Philadelphia and X'cw 



162 



rcmisyk'oiiia and Its Public Men. 



York banking circles, and besides ably con- 
ducts his vast real estate interests, and he is 
identified as a director in a number of im- 
portant enterprises both in Philadelphia and 
New York. He holds membership in some 
of the leading and exclusive social clubs of 
the city, and is admired and esteemed by all 
with whom he comes into contact. 



Hon. John W. Morrison 

Allegheny 

John \\". Morrisim, of .Mlegheny County, 
Deputy Commissioner of Banking, was born 




in Philadelphia and educated in the public 
schools of that city. He was a merchant in 
Pittsburg from 1866 until 1892, and enlisted 
as a private in the One Hundredth Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers in August, 1861. He was 
promoted to Sergeant Major, and later was 
made a commissioned officer, and was hon- 
orably discharged after more than three 
years' service. He served in the National 
Guard of Pennsylvania as Quartermaster of 
the Fourteenth Regiment, and Captain and 
aide-de-camp on the staff of Gen. James A. 
Beaver. He w-as elected to the House of Rep- 
resentatives in 1880, and re-elected in 1882; 
was Journal Clerk in the House of Repre- 
sentatives at the sessions of 1885 and 1887, 
and Chief Clerk in 1889 and 1891. He was 



elected State Treasurer. November, 1891, and 
appointed Deputy Connnissioner of Banking, 
April, 1895. Captain Morrison has reflected 
credit on all the positions he has filled. As a 
member of the House of Representatives he 
devoted himself actively and faithfully to the 
performance of his duties. As Journal Clerk 
he displayed rare aptitude and skill, and as 
Chief Clerk he demonstrated in various ways 
his fitness for the position. As State Treas- 
urer of Pennsylvania he guarded the inter- 
ests of the Commonwealth with great watch- 
fulness and care, and retired from the office 
without having lost a cent deposited in the 
various banking institutions. He has exe- 
cuted the duties of the office of Deputy Com- 
missioner of Banking the past ten years with 
marked ability, and has long since mastered 
all the details incident to the position, one of 
great importance to the people of the State. 



Hon. Frederick E. Lewis 

Late Mayor o( Allenlown 

Frederick E. Lewis was born at .\llentown, 
Lehigh County, Pa., a little over thirty-three 




years ago. and is of sturdy Scotch-Irish 
ancestry. Educated in the public schools and 
at New Haven, Conn., and Muhlenberg Col- 
lege, Allentown, Mr. Lewis, after having 
studied law in the office of Hon. Robert E. 



rciiiisxlz\Jiiia and Its I'lihlic Men. 



163 



Wriglit. was atlniittcd to practice in lS88. 
Being an analytical and logical thinker as 
well as a fluent and powerful speaker, he 
rapidly rose in his profession, and is amonjj 
the leaders of the local bar. Rut let it not 
be understood that Mr. Lewis is inerely the 
typical lawyer politician. As a matter of 
fact, he has been equally prominent as a 
public-spirited citizen and pros:rcssive man of 
affairs. Twice elected mayor of his native 
city as a Republican, and overcomingf an ad- 
verse political majority, his administrations 
were characterized by intelligence, sound 
judgment, and an aggressive but rational 
local pride. He elevated the tone and bet- 
tered every department of the public service, 
and having an eye single for the benefit of 
all the people whose needs he knew to a 
detail, improvements of every kind grew 
apace. His public career, like his private 
life, is clean and above reproach, and the 
record of his two terms in office is unstained 
by secret corruption or the breath of public 
scandal. He organized the Lehigh Telephone 
Company, and originally conceived the plan 
and was the foremost factor in establishing 
the Merchants" Xational Bank, of which ho 
is president. Mr. Lewis is also Secretary and 
Treasurer of the Keystone Cement Block 
Company, and Treasurer of the Allentown 
Sand and Coal Company. Mr. Lewis's genius 
for law, government, and large business en- 
terprise is unquestioned; but it is equally 
certain that the charm of his per.sonality has, 
in great measure, been responsible for his 
success in varied fields of endeavor. When 
Mr. Lewis was a candidate for the Republican 
nomination for Lieutenant-Governor before 
the Harrisburg Convention of 1902, the lale 
Senator Quav was making and winning his 
last great political battle within his party. 
Mr. Lewis, together with Hon. John P. 
Elkins and others, calmly submitted to the 
inevitable, for the "old man" who was against 
them, was still the master in Pennsylvania 
politics. 



\\hcn the Hon, Boies Penrose was a State 
Senator, he was taken down with the measles. 
He had been thirty-two years in catching up 
with them. I wrote these lines on the event: — 

The measles have got hold of Boies, 
In the sick room he silent lies; 

He has a nurse to tend his wants 
And fan away the flies. 

The Senator on his snowy couch, 
^^ust orders from the "Doc." obey ; 

He has put him on a diet — sad — 
Of three straight drinks a day. 



William Addison Magee 

William Addison Magee is the youngest of 
three famous brothers who were associated 
with the political, journalistic, legal and in- 
dustrial affairs of the City of Pittsburg for 
manv vears and be is sole surviving. "Chris" 




as he was universally known, was the head of 
the family and Republican leader of Alle- 
ghenv County, a lieutenant of Simon Cameron 
in the State and generally hostile to the poli- 
tical, personal and legislative interests of Mat- 
thew Stanley Quay. He was conspicuous as 
a promoter of legislation at Harrisburg, was 
connected with the introduction and after- 
wards modernizing of the street car system of 
Pitt.sburg and founder of the Times newspaper. 
I le died widely mourned leaving a large for- 
tune. Fred, the elder brother, was a legal 
genius, brilliant and erratic, but a man of im- 
mense capabilities who was a wonderful help 
to Chris in his various enterprises. The 
family is an old Pittsburg one. William A. 
Afagee was brought up to no profession, 
but was rather of a business bent of mind, 
and acted as an assistant to the interests 
of his two brothers. He was a large 
stockholder in the Pittsburg Times, which 
was the personal organ of Chris, and he 
worked at the newspaper business. He mar- 
ried into the Leijier family, an old and distin- 
guished one of Delaware County, the father 



164 



I'cjiiisyhaiiia and lis Public Men. 



of his wife having dislinguished himself as 
a union officer in General Gregg's celebrated 
Cavalry Brigade. Mr. Magee has always tak- 
en an active in'fjest in public affairs and for 
some years sal as a member and a leader of 
the City C'ouncil of Pittsburg. Some few years 
ago he was visited by a terrible affliction, the 
loss of his eyesight, which has greatly handi- 
capped hi'; business and public career and 
which afHiction he has borne with a singular 
Christian foititude. There is a substantial 
hope that in the not far distant future he may 
recover from his blindness. In 1908 Mr. 
Magee was elected to the Legislature from the 
5th district of the City of Pittsburg by a most 
flattering majority and it is said he is the 
first blind man to hold membership in either 
branch of the Legislature. Mr. Magee is 
noted for his wonderful memory and his charm 
as a conversationalist. He was largely in- 
terested in the development of mining proper- 
ties in Idaho. He possesses many of the traits 
of his distinguished brother, Chris, whose 
word it can be said never went to protest, and 
who never forgot a favor. 



Arthur Sellers 

Deputy Coroner, Philadelphia 

Arthur .Sellers. DcinUy Coroner of the City 
of Philadelphia, is a man well fitted to occupy 
the position which he does, and which was 
exemplified in January of 1909. when he was 
reappointed by the newly-elected incumbent of 
the office, John W. Ford, who recognized his 
ability, and who, like his predecessor, J. M. 
Rush Jermon. looked upon his appointment, 
not in a political sense at all, but from a stand- 
point of merit only. 

Mr. Sellers was born in 1874 at Chalfonte. 
Pennsylvania, and is in all respects a self-edu- 
cated man. Having to rely upon his own 
merits, by perseverance and industry he rapidly 
forged to the front ranks. The bent of his 
mind being in the direction of the law, he en- 
tered the law chambers of Bernard Gilpin. 
Esq., with whom he was associated for ten 
years. He was admitted to the bar on Decem- 
ber 8, 1897, and immediately entered into the 
active practice of his profession, in which he 
soon became known and recognized as a man 
of no ordinary legal attainments. He conducts 
his office with the same perseverance and 
energy that he did when he started out to show 
the world the kind of stuff he was made of, 
and he is in all respects well deserving of the 
prominent jjosition he now occupies. It can 
be stated that the business of the office of 
Coroner of Philadelphia is greater than that 
of any similar official in any city or county of 
the United States. New York has four Coro- 
ners, while Philadeliibia has but one. 



Christian W. Hershey 

Harrisburg 

The Hersheys of Pennsylvania are around 
and in plenty, and it is estimated that there 
are more than 7000 living descendants of the 
three brothers and one sister who came over 
from England with William Pcnn. At a 




Hershey reunion, held in 1908. there were 
4000 of them present. A prominent business 
man of Harrisburg is Christian J. Hershey. 
He was born at Campbell stown. Lebanon 
County, September 2, 1872, and is the son of 
Henry E. Hershey, who is a native of Lan- 
caster County. The latter moved to and took 
possession as manager of the old Harrisburg 
Driving Park in 1874, then in 1876 became 
lessee of the famous old Stock Yard Hotel, 
and in 1881 purchased the . ancient hostelry 
known as the Farmer's Inn, on Market Street, 
in the city of Harrisburg. In 1889 he pur- 
chased the Hassenberger property, a few 
doors away, and renamed it the Hershey Cafe. 
In 1904 it was renamed the Hotel Dauphin, 
and since then has been remodeled and en- 
larged, and is now one of the leading restau- 
rants and gentlemen's hotels in the city. It 
has been conducted for some years by Mr. 
Christian Hershey. The latter received his 
education in the public schools, and at the 
Harrisburg Academy. He learned the trade 
of the cabinetmaker and wood turner, but did 
not adopt it a? a permanent occupation, as he 



Pciiiisxlraiiia and Its I'ltblic Men. 



165 



accepted eniploynient with the Pemisylvania 
Railroad, and was stationed for some time in 
Jersey City. He was then induced to join 
his father in the liotc! business, and has been 
so engaged since. Mr. Hershey is a man of 
marked individuality and the possessor of en- 
joyable social qualities, which peculiarly fit 
him for his chosen business. He has strong 
political connections, and takes a hand in the 
political game. He is a member of Carlisle 
Lodge of Elks ; Corn Planter Lodge, Red 
Men: is active in the .\merican Mechanics 
and Order of Heptasophs; is president of the 
White House Club, and secretary of the .Ar- 
cadia Club, both popular social organizations, 
and belongs to the Hope Fire Engine Com- 
pany. 



Hugh C. Moore 

Master Drayman 

Hugh C. Moore is the second master dray- 
man in the citv of Phila(leli)hia. and does all 




the hauling of the wholesale hou^es in the dry 
goods and woolen trades. He was born in the 
First Ward, where he resided all his life, un- 
til 1907. when he removed to 1522 South 
Broad Street, in the Twenty-sixth XX'ard. His 
education was obtained in the public schools 
and a course in the Boys" High School. He 
then entered the employ of the wholesale 
notion house of Young. Smyth. Field &• Cnm- 



()auy. where he rem.iined for si.x years, .\bout 
1MS3 he associated hintself with his brother-in- 
law, the late Robert S. Patterson, master 
drayman, of Third and Market Streets, and 
upon the death of the latter, in 1 882. he suc- 
ceeded to the business. Mr. Moore is identi- 
fied with the Democratic party of Philadel- 
phia, and is a factor in its councils. He has 
never been a candidate for public office, al- 
though frequently solicited, and declares that 
he is only in politics in the interest of his 
friends. He was a delegate to the democratic 
Xational Convention at St. Louis in 1902. 
which nominated Judge Parker for the l^resi- 
dency. Mr. Moore is a member of the Benev- 
olent and Protective Order of Elks; of the 
Masonic Fraternity: Knights of the ("ioldtn 
Eagle, and of the N'oung Maennerchor: is a 
leading member of the i'hiladelphia Team 
Owners' Protective .Association, and also is 
President of the Xational Organization of 
Team Owners. The business is still known as 
Robert S. Patterson, teamster, and in that 
connection it may be interesting to say that 
-Mr. Moore's father took the late Robert S. 
Patterson into his familv when a bov and 
raised him. and at the age of twenty-one made 
him a partner. The father (lying. Robert S. 
Patterson succeeded to the business, and he, 
too, took Mr. Hugh C. Moore as a fatherless 
boy into his family, and when he was twenty- 
one admitted him to a partnership. Mr. Hugh 
Moore took the son of Robert S. Patterson 
into his family, and raised him as a son. and 
when he became twenty-one admitted him to 
a |)artnership. but he unfortunately died soon 
after his connection with the business. 



Andrew F. Hammond 

Secretary Board o( Education 

Andrew V. Ilannnontl is an important sec- 
tion of the public school machinery of the 
city of Philadelphia. It can be said without 
flattering that he has a more intimate and 
detail knowledge of the school system of that 
city than any other living man. He has grown 
up and lived his nK,nliood life as a clerical at- 
tache of the Board of Education. Six months 
after he had graduatetl from the Ouaker Citv 
Business College he received an appointment 
to a clerical position under the Board. He was 
not then of voting age. He had made himself 
so useful, however, that in 1X69 Mr. Hammond 
was promoted and placed in charge of the vast 
stores of supplies distributed to the schools. 
In [87; he was advanced to the assistant sec- 
retaryship of the Board, which he continued to 
fill with ability un!il 1S98. when he was ad- 
vanced to the position of secretarv. succeeding 
H. W. Halliwell. <leceased. .Mtogether Mr. 



166 



Fciinsxlz'aiiia ami Its I'ltblic Men. 



Hammond's connection with the Board of Edu- 
cation extends over a period of more than forty 
years. Mr. Hammond was born in the Ninth 
Ward, on Market Street between Nineteenth 
and Twentieth. December i8. 1847. He passed 
through all the grades of the public schools, 
including the Locust Street Grammar and the 
Boys" Central High School. He has been ac- 
tive as a Republican, and is connected with a 
number of societies and clubs. 



Filbert Paving and Construction 
Company 




I)l;. K T. til. BERT 

The very genjral use of vulcantile and pa- 
tent granolith paving in place of brick and 
stone has not only been a matter of economy, 
but a feature of comfort and beauty, and 
wherever used rendering any special descrip- 
tion of the article unnecessary. It is cheaper 
than stone, quite as durable for sidewalks and 
roadways. Miles are in use in Philadelphia. 
As flooring for cellars, hotel and office build- 
ings it has no c(iual. Granolith floorings are 
in the City Hall, Drexel Building, North 
American Building, Girard Life Lisurance 
Building, Broad Street Station, Baltimore and 
Ohio Depot, county prison, Baldwin Locomo- 
tive Works, and a host of vast and noted 
structures in Phi!a<leliih!a and other cities. 



The observer cannot fail to perceive that it 
is everywhere superseding the swashy old- 
time brick pavement. The Filbert Company 
was founded by Dr. L S. Filbert, who incor- 
porated it in 1871. The company has of late 
years made a specialty of concrete and rein- 
forced concrete in construction work, and is 
erecting buildings of all description with this 
coming popular and economical material 
which has taken the place of lumber, brick 
and stone. The Filbert Paving and Construc- 
tion Company maintains offices at 903-10 
Pennsylvania Building, Philadelphia. Its offi- 
cers are R. T. Filbert, president: David E. 
Ross, treasurer, and Benjamin F. Richardson, 
secretary. It is an interesting historical fact 
that Dr. I. S. Filbert laid in Philadelphia, on 
North Broad Street, the first granolith paving 
in that citv. 



The John Mawson Hair Cloth 
Company 

The large plant of the John Mawson Hair 
Cloth Co., at Kensington Avenue and Venango 
Streets, fittingly illustrates what indomitable 
will and persistent pluck will accomplish. The 
business was started but ten years ago by Mr. 
Mawson, who at that time had one loom, and 
the mill consisted of a small room in what he 
terms a "shack," He was his own weaver, 
loom-fixer, business manager and salesman, 
but the prospects looked bright to him, and 
although every one predicted dire failure, he 
plodded along much encouraged by orders, 
which the high cpiality of the goods he manu- 
factured was bound to bring. 

Mr. Alawson possessed but four hundred dol- 
lars when he started his mill, and the increased 
business in the first year, although small, made 
it necessary for him to get increased capital. 
Tlie business was therefore incorporated un- 
der its present firm name, but Mr. Mawson has 
long since bought every share of stock held by 
other persons, and is now the absolute and only 
owner of the business. All this has been ac- 
complished in ten years, in addition to building 
a mill at a cost of $46,000; another one ad- 
joining at a cost of $17,000 and installing a 
perfect enuipment, which now consists of 220 
looms and the accessory machinery. 

The product of the Mawson establishment is 
hair cloth, serge linings and French flannels. 
Nearlv everv one is familiar with the manner 
of making linings and flannels, but few know 
much about hair cloth and its manufacture. 
Special looms are reciuired for the work; and 
the horse-hair, taken only from the tail of the 
animal, and of various lengths, comes to the 
mill in round liundles about two and a haP' 



Pcmisvlvaiiia and Its Public Men. 



167 



inches in dianu'lcr. in weaving a cotton warp 
is used, and the hair, after heinp^ loosened, is 
placed near the loom, where a selector with 
almost human precision, picks up a single hair 
from the hunch. This is (piickly grasped hy 
the nipper, which carries it across to the loom 
and quickly returns for each succeeding hair 
the selector takes up. Once at the loom, the 
work of weaving is similar to that where cot- 
ton yarns are used. The hair employed comes 
from Siberia and Russia. an<l the price is gov- 
erned by the production there. The peasants 
come into the villages twice a year, the oc- 
casion of their semi-annual fair, and bring the 
horse tails just as they are cut f ro ii the animal. 
These are bought by agents of the hair manu- 
facturer, the prices being low or high, accord- 
ing to the plenti fulness or scarcity of the tails. 
It is then washed, dressed and sorted into 
lengths, the long pieces being used for weav- 
ing and the shorter ones for brush makers and 
mattress manufacturers. The best hair comes 
from the wild horses in South America, but 
as thev are now ncarlv extinct, production 
from that source is ended. 

There are two ounces of weaving hair in 
each horse tail and seven pounds make eighty 
yards of cloth, so that it means the robbery of 
a horse and a half for each yard made. The 
price of the hair is now about Sl.oo per pound. 
and ranges from a lower figure to $1."^. which 
is the highest reached. What will be done 
when the sunnlv is exhausted is bard to sur- 
iTiise. as nothing has ever been found, or is 
likelv to be. that will supiilant horse-hair in 
making hnings. as the elasticitv which makes 
a garment retain its perfect shape is lost in 
anv other material. 

Mr. Mawson ascribes his success to the fair 
manner in which he treats every one and the 
high nualitv of the goods he makes. That thev 
are ponul.nr and in demand is proven by the 
fact that in nine out of ten years he has been 
in business, his mills have run twenty-four 
hours evcrv day. He caters onlv to the best 
trade, to which be sells direct, having a resi- 
dent agent in everv large city. 



Many stories are told of Governor Samuel 
\V. Pennypackcr. but for dry. off-hand humnr 
this one can hardly be excelled. 

The Governor was busy at bis desk in the 
executive office when a visitor came in. 
A\'ithont looking un to sec who it was the 
Governor continued bis writing, saying to the 
intruder. "Take a chair." 

"I am Conr^ressnian Decmcr,"' replied the 
caller, in an injured tone. 
. "O." resnonded the Governor: "then take 
two chairs." 



William A. Patterson 

Superintendent House of Correction 

William .\. "Patterson is a fine exam])le of 
how a man can. by strict attention to duty 
and by force of merit, arise from a humble 
beginning to the lop rung of the ladder. In 
1884. a year after attaining bis majority, he 




was appointed to the position of a sub-guard 
at the Philadelphia House of Correction, at 
llolmesburg, and. passing through the various 
grades of proiuotion, we find him, in 1906, 
the superintendent of the second largest cor- 
rectional institution in the United States. 
Captain Patterson is the son of John Patter- 
son of the First Ward, l'hiladel|)hia. who was 
])rominent in the contracting business for 
thirty-one years, and a man of influence in 
the community. He was born in that city 
November 30, 1862, and only had the educa- 
tional advantages of the public schools. He 
had a natural aptitude for politics, and itlenli- 
fied himself actively with the Republican 
parly upon becoming of age. He was re- 
warded for his political work with the ap- 
pointment of sub-guard at the House of Cor- 
rection in 1884, and was advanced to a regu- 
lar guard after eight months' service, and in 
1901 was promoted to the Lieutenancy of the 
Guard. Six months later he was made Cap- 
tain of the (iuard, which position he filled 
with great credit to himself until 1906. when 
be was chosen Superintendent of the Institu- 
tion. Captain I'atterson is acknowledged as 
an authority on penology, and his views, based 
upon the successful handling of many thou- 
sand prisoners, are sought frequently by those 



168 



Pciinsxlz'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



in autbiirity in simi'ar institutions. Wliilc he 
was Ca])tain of the Guard he introduced the 
checking system, which has proven a great 
success, and has been widely copied. Captain 
Patterson is a member of the Masonic fra- 
ternity, also of the Odd Fellows and the 
American Mechanics. He is also an active 
spirit of the Fortv-first Ward Republican 
Club. 



Frederick Cuneo 

Merchant 




Frederick Cuneo is an excellent type of the 
enterprising and rising descendants of the 
Italian immigrants who settled in the city of 
Philadelphia to make it their permanent home, 
and who have become thoroughly identified 
with the business, social, and political life of 
the metropolis. His father, Frank Cuneo, 
upon taking up his residence in Philadelphia, 
estab'ished, in 1865, the business of import- 
ing Italian food-products and wines, and the 
manufacture of macaroni on Christian Street 
near Eighth, and bui't up a prosperous and 
extensive trade. He has the distinction of 
being the oldest living member of the Phila- 
delphia Commercial Exchange. Mr. Fred- 
erick Cuneo was born in the old Third Ward 
of Philadelphia, September 24, 1872. He 
went through the public schools and after- 
ward, to fit him properly for a mercantile 



career, he took a course in a prominent busi- 
ness college, graduating in i8gi. He then 
became identified with the business that was 
established by his father, and the name of 
whose house is favorably known both in Eu- 
rope and America. Mr. Cuneo has rare busi- 
ness abilities and enterprise, and is the future 
head of it. He identified himself with the 
Republican party upon reaching voting age, 
and is a factor in the politics of the Third 
Ward and a leader of the Italian citizens. 
In i8g8 Air. Cuneo was a candidate for the 
Legislature on the Wanamaker anti-Quay 
ticket, and was returned defeated by only a 
few votes through the questionable political 
methods that are resorted to in that section. 
He was urged to contest the election, and 
able lawyers gave it as their opinion that his 
right to the seat could be successfully estab- 
lished. Mr. Cuneo is a member of the 
Benevolent Order of Elks and of the For- 
esters of America. He is noted for his social 
qualities, and his companionship is much 
sought for. He is likewise well known for 
his benevolence and his solicitude for the 
poor Italian immigrants landing in Philadel- 
phia. His activity in raising money for the 
sufiferers from the Messina earthquake of 
1909 brought him into much prominence and 
popularitv. 



Freihofer Baking Company 

In olden times when one's mother used to 
stand at the table mixing dough for the fam- 
ily consumption, it was no common occur- 
rence to her to become fretful, annoyed, and 
peevish. In later days these obstacles were 
overcome by machinery, which has done the 
work without any complaint from the opera- 
tor, and perhaps the Freihofer Company, of 
Philadelphia, was one of the first to solve 
the perplexing problem. It almost appears 
astonishing, but nevertheless it is true, that 
they established this gigantic business in 1893 
upon a small scale, and through their own 
individual ability and efforts they have 
reached such a stage to-day that they manu- 
facture upward of 100,000 loaves of bread a 
day, giving employment to between five and 
six hundred hands. How very colossal it 
seems that an individual firm should control 
this immense output, taking, as it does, one 
hundred and twenty wagons to deliver every 
day. W^e were emphatic wdien we said 100,- 
000 loaves a day, but our em]ihasis counts 
for nothing when we reflect, when we ponder 
at the amazing statement of Freihofer"s. made 
on the eve of this volume going to press, that 
they have made arrangements to erect a model 
bakery with a daily output of 280,000 loaves 
of bread which will require the services of 



Pcinisxli'aiiiii and Its I'lihlic Men. 



169 



the largest stable in the work!, ami which will 
have a capacity for three hundred horses and 
one hundred and sixty wagons, including 
horseshoeing shop, wagon repair shop, all 
under one shed, making it the most complete 
and largest stable this country has ever 
known. The location is from Xineteenth and 
Twentieth to Clearfield and Indiana Avenues. 
The bakery has its own power house, and the 
dimensions of the whole are 225 by 420 feet. 



Col. Edward W. Patton 




Col. Edward Wagner I'atton has devoted 
years of gratuitous service to the city of 
Philadelphia, and has been a conspicuous fac- 
tor in its turbulent politics for over thirty 
years. He has been a member of Select 
Council continuously since 1877, and is the 
"Father" of that branch of the municipal leg- 
islature. For a quarter of a century or more 
he has been the Republican leader of the 
Twenty-seventh Ward, and as such a leader 
of independent action. \o man is better 
versed in matters appertaining to the public 
affairs of the city, and for many years he has 
been a member of the Finance Committee of 
City Councils and of the Sub-Committee of 
that important committee dealing with its 



millicins of appropriatiuus and vast public im- 
provements, lie has never sought salaried 
public office, preferring to engage in private 
business enterprises. He has served his coun- 
try also in war. an<l has an honorable Civil 
War record. Colonel I'atton was born in the 
Fifth Ward, Philadelphia, June 9, 1846. He 
passed from the Locust Street Granunar 
School to the Roys' Central High School in 
i860. He abandoned his studies in June, 1863, 
to enlist in Landis' P>attery, and served dur- 
ing the emergency caused by Lee's invasion 
of Pennsylvania. In 1864 he was appointed 
an officer in the United States navy, and 
served on the steamers "Donegal" and "Mas- 
sachusetts." Honorably discharged Januarv, 
1865, he was appointed Paymaster's Clerk, 
and stationed in Baltimore, the district em- 
bracing Xew Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, 
West Virginia, and Western Pennsylvania. 
Served as Chief Clerk to Colonel Etting dur- 
ing the mustering out and payment of the 
troops from those States at the close of the 
Rebellion, during which many millions were 
])aid out. In 1867, when stationed at Indian- 
apolis, he resigned. Colonel Patton then re- 
turned to Philadelphia and engaged w-ith his 
father. Price T. Patton, in extensive building 
operations. He thus remained until 1871. 
In the meantime he became active as a Re- 
publican and the favorite and lieutenant of 
l'"lwno<l Rowan, the leader of the Twentv- 
seventh Ward. In February. 1877. he was 
elected to Select Council, and then began his 
remarkal)le career in that body. He has been 
bitterly ff)uglit for re-election at times bv 
hostile influences, both within and without the 
Re|)ublican party, but defeat is an unknown 
word to him. In 1882 he was appointed a 
mercantile appraiser. He is identified with 
many business enterprises, is President of the 
Fernwood Cemetery, Director in the Great 
Eastern Clay Company and the Standanl 
X'itrified Clay Com|)any ; was largely inter- 
ested in the Powelton Real Estate Company; 
is identified with a bonding and security busi- 
ness. He is also financially interested in 
mining operations in Xew Mexico and the 
State of Washington, and was President for 
three months of Select Council. 

He was a member of the old .America Hose 
of the \ olunteer Fire Department; was (Quar- 
termaster of the Third Regiment. Xational 
(iuaril, with which he was identified for a 
number of years; is a member of Meridian 
.Sun Lodge, Xo. 158. F. & A. M. ; Fernwood 
Chapter, Xo. 236: Corinthian Chapter, Mary 
Coinmandery. and of Counland Sander's Post, 
G. .A. R., and a founder of the West Phila- 
delphia Republican Club. He is an enthu- 
siastic farmer, and has a fine estate at Croy- 
don, Bucks Countv. 



170 



Pciutsyiz'oiiia ami Its Public Men. 




Col. Oliver Sylvester Hershman 

Publisher "The Pittsburg Press" 



Oliver S. Hershman is the editor and pub- 
lisher of one of the most successful and public 
spirited newspapers in the United States, The 
Pittsburg Press. Col. Hershman was born in 
Pittsburg on July 2, 1859, has lived there ever 
since, and has the interests of the iron and 
steel metropolis deeply at heart. He is the 
son of Henry Logan Hershman and Lucy 
( Buhoup) Hershman. His father was killed 
as a soldier on the Union side in the Civil 
War. Col. Hershman after attending the 
public schools took a commercial course in 
one of the Pittsburg colleges, and entered the 
business office of the Pittsburg Evening Tele- 
graph. Here he filled one after another all 
the positions in the office, finally becoming 
business manager. This paper, which was of 
a conservative character that made it a ereat 



power for good in the community, was in 
1884 consolidated with the Evening Chronicle, 
forming the Chronicle Telegraph. After 
securing a controlling interest in the consoli- 
dated paper. Col. Hershman successfully pub- 
lished it until 1900, when he bought The 
Press. All of these papers he made exponents 
of Republican party policy and principles. 
He incorporated The Press, and is its presi- 
dent and treasurer. Shortly after its acquire- 
ment he bought and merged the Daily A'eivs 
with it. Col. Hershman has for several years 
been president of the Pittsburg Newspaper 
Publishers' Association. He is interested in' 
a number of other business enterprises, but it 
is to his newspaper interests alone that he 
gives his personal supervision and manage- 
ment. Although actively espousing Republi- 



Pcnnsxlvania and Its Public Men. 



171 



can principles in his paper he has not sought 
office or appointment of a political character. 
He has, however, given sonic attention to the 
direction of sciiool affairs and was a delegate 
to the Republican National Convention of 
1904, participating in the nomination of Presi- 
dent Roosevelt. In 1907 he was appointed 
aide-de-camp on the statT of Gov. Stuart of 
Pennsylvania, with the rank of lieutenant- 
colonel. He was married on May 24, 1904. 
to Belle C. Boyd, and makes his home in what 
is known as the charming Bellefield district 
of Pittsburg. He is a member of the Pitts- 
burg Chamber of Commerce, the Western 
Pennsylvania E.xposition Society, .American 
.Academy of Political Science, and the Du- 
quesne. Union, University, Pittsburg Country. 
Oakmont Country, Matinee, .Vutomobile, and 
Pittsburg .Athletic Clubs. His residence is 
200 Bellefield .Avenue, and office address, 325 
I-'ifth .\venue, Pittsburg. 



"And the Next Day it Snowed " 

I was the author of the phrase. ".And the 
next day it snowed." which immediately, after 
the defeat of Benjamin Harrison for Presi- 
dent by Grover Cleveland in l8<S8, became a 
national expression, being used by peoi)le and 
newspapers all over the United .States. 

It originated in this way: The morning 
after the election T dropped into the office of 
the County Commissioners in the City Hall, 
Philadelphia, and there found, pacing the 
floor, Theodore B. Stulb, one of the commis- 
sioners. 

The catastrophe that had visited the Repub- 
lican party in the nation had fallen upon him 
with a crashing weight, and he was angry, 
pessimistic, and as .short as pie crust in his 
diatribes upon the political situation, 

I attempted to comfort him but his anger 
seemed to increase, and looking out the big 
windows upon the street, we saw that a brisk 
flurry of snow had descended upon the citv. 

"Ves. and if we haven't troubles enough, 
here it is snowing the day after election." 

It was an unusual visitation of snow so early 
in this latitude. Mr. Stulb's lament struck me 
so forcibly that I determined to make use of 
it in my political column in the Evcuiug Item. 
and I put it into the expression ".\nd tlie next 
day it snowerl." 

It made an instantaneous hit. People car- 
ried it away from the city with thcni. vaude- 
ville actors took it up. erlitors seized upon it. 
and its popularity was fixed. 



Alfred J. Clark 

Proprietor of Clark's lioD Foundry 

-Mr. .\llred J. (.lark, the subject of this 
sketch, established his present gigantic busi- 
ness in 1896 with but four enii)loyecs, and 
met with impreoeckiited success from the 




Postmaster-General John Wananiaker. of 
President Harrison in the campaign of 1892: 
"God will count the ballots." 



.■•tart. To-day he has an established reputa- 
tion in all parts of the United States, and is 
one of the leading manufacturers of chemical 
castings in the world, and from the small 
l)eginning he now gives employment to up- 
ward of six thousand men. His plant is 
located at Gray's Ferry Road, Wharton and 
Thirty-fifth .Street, Philadelphia, covering an 
entire city square. He owes his success to the 
square timber treatment which he accords 
his customers. He supplies open-mouth ami 
grate-top inlets, sewer manholes, electrical 
manholes, grate bars, and gray-iron castings 
r)f every description. He also does high- 
grade casting in loam, green and dry sand. 
One of his specialties is chemical iron work, 
kettles, stills, blowers, etc.. and he is suc- 
cessor to the Gregor Manufacturing Com- 
pany's patents on noiseless asphalt filled 
covers and trains. .Among his customers 
may be mentioned such well-known corpora- 
lions as the Bell Telephone Companv. Kev- 
stone Telephone Company, and the citv of 
Philadelphia, besides which he supplies most 
of the large cities throughout the United 
States and Canada. It has been due to Mr. 



172 



Pciuis\lvaiiia and Its Public Men. 



Clark's uiit 
success of 
sured. 



ring and ceaseless energy that the 
Clark's Iron Foundry is now as- 



J 



James S. 
occupy his 



ames S. Gillespie 

Chief Elevator Inspector 

Gillespie is a man well 
jiresent position. Mr. 



fitted to 
Gillespie 




was born sixty years ago in Massachusetts, 
and received his primary education in the 
public schools there. After having received 
a thorough education he took up the trade 
of machinist, in which he became most pro- 
ficient. Seeking new fields he came to Phila- 
delphia in 1872, and was then employed by 
William Sellars & Company in their shops, 
and rapidly promoted until he became fore- 
man of the shops. He identified himself 
with the Republican party in 1875, and has 
always been an ardent party man. In 1900 
he accepted the position of Elevator Inspector 
for the city by reason of his ability, but in 
1905 was appointed Chief Elevator Inspector, 
which position he still holds. Mr. Gillespie 
is a son of the late Isabella (Duncan) and 
William L. Gillespie, and is a prominent 
member of the Fidelity Club, National Asso- 
ciation of Engineers, Twentieth Ward Re- 
publican Club, and is a Free and Accepted 
Mason. Mr. Gillespie had charge of the in- 
stallation of the first elevator that was erected 
in the City Hall of Philadelphia. 



Hon, Moses Shields, Jr. 

Wyoming 

Moses Shields, Jr,, representing the coun- 
ties of Wyoming, Susquehanna, and Brad- 
ford, in the Senate of Pennsylvania, is a fine 
type of the Welsh- American stock which has 
so materially assisted in the industrial devel- 
opment of the northern tier of counties of the 
Keystone State, and who are prominent in 
their affairs. While essentially a business 
man and a developer of the mineral wealth 
of the State, he has for a number of years 
participated actively in politics as a Repub- 
lican, and is one of the party leaders of the 
Fourteenth Congressional District. Mr. Shields 
is a native of Wales, born in Llangwm, April 
24, 1853, being named after his father, his 
mother being Martha \\'illiams. In 1869 his 
]iarents immigrated to America and settled in 
Scranton, where the father pursued his trade 
as a quarryman. 




Senator Shields' primary education was ob- 
tained in the parochial schools of Wales and 
in this country. He took a course at the 
academy at Tallmadge, Ohio, where he was 
fitted out as a teacher in the public schools. 
In order to obtain the money for his educa- 
tion he worked on a farm in the favorable 
months and attended school in the winter. 
When he had attained his majority he began 
teaching school, and during the interval se- 
cured work in a stone quarry. In 1874 the 



Pciiiisxlz'ciitia and Its Public Men. 



173 



family removed from Scrantoii to the town of 
Nicholas, \\ yominjj; County, when father and 
son formed a co-partnership ami entered upon 
the business of ([uarrymen, and which busi- 
ness affiliation has continued until the present 
lime. Senator Shields is the Treasurer and 
General Manager of the Moses Shields' Stone 
Company, whose plant is located in Wyoming 
County, and is General Manager of the .\ich- 
olas L. H. & P. Company. He is interested 
also in a large quarry operation near White 
Haven. Senator Shields is the leading owner 
of the Nicholson Record, the Rc|)ublioan jiarty 
organ of the county. He early identified him- 
self with politics and began his political ca- 
reer as a school director in his town of Nich- 
olson, and in which capacity he served for 
eighteen years. In 1904 he received the nomi- 
nation for the Legislature, and was elected 
by a handsome majority, and in 1906 was re- 
elected. He was a prominent figure in the 
deliberations of the House, serving on impor- 
tant committees, and he was named by tjov- 
ernor Stuart as one of the members of the 
special commission to investigate the State 
Capitol scandal, and whose findings resulted 
in the conviction of the accused persons. His 
prominence in the political affairs of his sec- 
tion led to his nomination for State Senator 
from the Twenty-third District in 1908, and 
after one of the most exciting and interesting 
contests ever witnessed in the district he was 
returned elected. 



Knox, the Humorist, Makes Quay Roar 

It had to be excrutiaiingly funny and gro- 
tesque to make Senator Quay laugh good and 
hearty. He would silently smile, but that was 
a cast-iron afTair. 

Col. Armoy Knox, the famous humorist and 
editor of Texas Siftings, had the distinction 
of making Senator Quay roar with laughter. 

X'isiting Washington I introduced him to 
Quay. The following article, which I wrote 
for the Washington Sunday Capitol, tells the 
story : — 

"Col. J- Armoy Knox, the '■mincnt pachy- 
derm of the humorous press, reached Wash- 
ington unexpectedly In- the fast freight on the 
Pennsylvania Railway last Fourth-day. The 
train, it grieves me to state, was seventeen 
hemispherical knots behind time. The con- 
ductor had brought the train to a stop for 
that period of eternity at Rladcn.sburg, Mary- 
land, to afford his patrons a cursory view of 
a duel that was in progress between a clerk 
in the War Department and a hoarding-house 
keeper of Washington, whose butter the afore- 
said clerk had. in an unguarded moment, im- 
pugned. The conductor had another and mf>re 



sinister motive for stopping the train at 
Hladensburg. He had made the irritating 
discovery that the locomotive's locomotion 
had been entirely too expetlitious. so to speak. 
The blood had congealed in his arteries when 
he learned that his train was actually on 
time, if I should run into Washington on 
time,' mused he, sotto voce. 'I should not only 
forfeit my reputation as a railroail man, be 
reproved by the superintendent of motive 
power, but my name would appear in the 
licentious ])ress of Washington under a scare 
head.' .\o train has ever been known to 
arrive in Washington on time with the single 
exce])tion of (ieorge Francis Train. 

"As the train discharged its human freight 
in the depot yard, Col. J. .\rmoy Knox 
alighted with that Chesterfieldian and Mc- 
.Mlasterian grace and abandon which his 
creditors have, on divers occasions, remarked, 
and which makes him so poetically resemble 
the Pandion haliactus caroliucnsis of Pata- 
gonia and the corn-fed maverick of Bolivia. 
This was his first official visit to the irrides- 
cent capital of his native land. Colonel Knox, 
upon his own motion, immediately went into 
the committee of the whole on the state of 
the Union. While debating under the iive- 
niimite rule whether he should go and ask 
Mr. Blaine to send him as a duly accredited 
consul to Coatzacoalcos, or whether upon his 
own responsibility he should luxuriate in an 
electric sea-foam shampoo, the eye of Colonel 
Knox happened to fall upon the perspective 
of a human being who would be jiicked out 
at any town caucus as a man unalterably 
opposed to the McKinley proposition to in- 
crease the duty on dried beans. 

"He at once approached this man with the 
sang froid of a managing editor, or the agent 
of an .\rkansaw sorghum mill. 

" "Surely, I am making no mistake,' lisped 
the pilgrim, as the wind soughed gently 
through his epigrammatical whiskers: 'my 
eyes, which have stood me good stead since 
the surrender of Cornwallis. cannot now de- 
ceive me. This is the celebrated John Cham- 
berlain who played casino with the "Mill 
Boy of the Slashes" and three-card monte 
with Jefferson Davis. I recognized vou. mv 
dear hoy. from a wood-cut which I saw in 
the current issue of the Xatioiial Baptist.' 

" 'Well?' replied the man, with that hauteur 
and frigidity so much affected by bad actors 
and with the dignity of X'aiiderbilt's $7000 
cook in his mien. 

" 'My name, I am pnuid to sav, is T. 
.\rmoy Knox." 

'" "Oh. no. it isn't. I have seen pictures of 
Knox in the Rogues' Gallery, and you don't 
look a bit like him. ^'ou are either a bunco 
artist or a canvasser for subscri|)tions to the 



174 



Pciuisxh'Oiiia and Its Public Men. 



World's I'air in Chicago, and you make me 
tired.' 

"Thereupon the man, who was none other 
than Col. John Chamberlain, walked away to 
keep an eng;agenient with a planked shad that 
had arrived C.O.D. on the same train with 
Colonel Knox. 

"This set-back non-plussed the famous pro- 
moter of adipose tissue somewdiat, and dark- 
ling thoughts of revenge and retribution hov- 
ered in and around his ganglia. 

" 'Let me go and adjourn Congress,' thought 
he, 'and a islighting, withering, devastating 
curse will fall upon this town, infinitely more 
far-reaching, vastly more holocaustical than 
the late esteemed cyclone at Louisville or the 
playful cataclysm at Johnstown, and why 
should not the curse fall? Why should my 
hand be stayed ? The occupation of these 
people is but the writing of speeches for 
Senator Blair and pulling the leg of the 
Government. I have been outraged and in- 
sulted. I shall go and adjourn Congress.' 

"It was while in this choleric mood that 
Knox strode forth in the gladsome sunshine 
with the shadow of the capitol's dome in the 
iris of his larboard eye and the reflex of the 
Washington Monument in the iris of his 
starboard eye. 

"The business which brought Colonel Kno.x 
to the capital of his adopted country has not 
yet been disclosed. It is now our pleasure to 
expose the Senegambian in the woodpile. It 
appears that a few days prior to the opening 
of our tale Colonel Knox was swa])])ing 
stories with Dr. Depew in the Grand Central 
Depot, when the doctor incidentally mentioned 
that there was a standing reward of $500 in 
gold for the man. woman or child who could 
make Senator Quay, the chairman of the 
Republican National Committee, laugh a real 
l8-karat laugh. It further appears that Sena- 
tor Quay had been unable to laugh since Col. 
Bill Nye began his side-splitting articles in 
a New York journal of civilization, reflecting 
upon the inherent qualities of Quay as a bor- 
rower of the State funds of the Common- 
wealth of Pennsylvania. It was for the de- 
liberate purpose of coppering; this reward, of 
laying it up as moth and rust, as it were, 
that the colonel and his wdiiskers had come 
to the seat of government. 

"But to resume. Having disguised the 
aroma of his morning cocktail with a clove. 
Colonel Knox again sought the free and un- 
fettered air. Still bent upon his revenge, 
walked he forth. A familiar face magnetic- 
ally loomed up on his port quarter. 

" 'Surely,' said he, 'I am making no mis- 
take when I introduce myself to Levi P. 
Morton, the twenty-third Vice-President of 
the LTnited States?' 



" 'My friend,' said Levi I'., for the man 
was none other, 'you cross my path like a 
ray of sunshine. You are like a tin cup of 
beer from a Cincinnati brewery to a parched 
and weary traveler in the sun-scorched desert 
of the older world. I am on my way to the 
Washington Market to buy a bunch of aspar- 
agus for the Shoreham Hotel, where I would 
gladly welcome you if it had a bar. But, 
alas ! it has not. The organs of the adminis- 
tration say it has not, and I am bound to 
accept their word. But what might be your 
name and what is the nature of your claim 
against the Government. Perhaps if I knew 
all the particulars I might, in my own feeble 
way, assist you in expediting it.' 

" 'Thanks, many thanks, for your disinter- 
ested generosity, the remembrance of which 
I shall carry with me to the dark and silent 
mausoleum. But my name is Knox — J. 
Armoy Knox. Perhaps in the range of your 
wide and diversified readings you may have 
met with that name ?' 

" 'The name is a household word with me. 
The discoverer of nux vomica has my pro- 
found respect, my sincere admiration. In- 
deed, I may say that it was only this morn- 
ing that I directed my private secretary to 
prepare a bill appropriating the sum of $50,- 
000 for a monument to the discoverer of nux 
vomica, that great boon of mankind, the ban- 
isher of headache. It does me proud. Colonel 
Knox, to take you, the inventor of nux vom- 
ica, by the hand, and extend to you the free- 
dom of the city. The guests of the Shoreham 
may go without their asparagus for this noon- 
day's meal, and I will show you the attractions 
of the capital.' 

"Mr. Morton and Colonel Knox sailed forth 
on foot to view the attractions of W'ashington, 
which included the town pump and Charlotte 
Smith, and the Senate Committee room on the 
Potomac Flats, where Colonel Knox was 
shown the sideboard at which Elder Harrison, 
when a common Senator, used to stand and 
take his 'tod' like one of the regular army. 
By this time Mr. Morton thought that Senator 
Ingalls was tired of holding down the Senate, 
and that he might want to go and change his 
necktie or get a drink, so he called Captain 
Bassett and directed him to show Colonel 
Knox to the committee room on Interstate 
Commerce, where he had no doubt he would 
find Senator Quay concealing himself from 
reporters of a venal and perturbed press. 
Hoping that he would succeed for the good 
of the party in making Quay laugh, and at 
the same time snooding the reward of $500, 
Mr. Morton bade him an affectionate and 
tearful farewell. 

"The meeting between Colonel Knox and 
Senator Quay was cordial in the extreme. 



Pciiiis\l:'aiiia ami fts Public Men. 



175 



The St-nator pressed upon him his pocketbook 
and a corner lot in the town of I5eaver, both 
of whicli were declined with thanks. He tlien 
asked him to run for Governor of Pennsylva- 
nia on the Greenback ticket, which, owinfj to 
previous engagements, Colonel Knox was also 
compelled to decline. 

■■ 'I understand, my dear Senator,' said 
Colonel Knox, playing on his sympathetic 
register, 'that you have not laughed since my 
esteemed contemporary. Col. Bill Xye, in a 
rash and unguarded moment in a New York 
paper, wrote certain articles reflecting upon 
your ability to pack a town caucus and to 
count up a quorum at a Monday night's ses- 
sion of the Pennsylvania Legislature.' 

" "I have not laughed since then,' ejaculated 
the Senator, solemnly. 

■' 'Well, my dear man, this thing must not 
go on. Paresis, Bright's disease, softening 
of the brain, indigestion, arc bound to come. 
You must laugh with me. Positively you 
must laugh with me; the salvation of the 
country depends on your laughing with me. 
I have brought down a joke with me in my 
valise. I'ortunately my valise is at the door. 
I will get the joke! Ha! Ha! Ha! It is a 
new joke. I told it to Henry Carey Lea, of 
Philadelphia, and he went and wrote that 
open letter.' 

"The famous jokesmith, then taking Sena- 
tor Quay by the arm and leading him to a 
window that overlooked the castle of Ben 
Butler on Capitol Hill, whispered to him: 
'Harrison wants another term. Hal Ha! 
Ha !' 

" 'Harrison wants what ?' inquired the 
Senator, doubting the sanity of his visitor. 

•"Another term. Ha! Ha! Ha!' 

" 'Harrison wants another term !' screamed 
Quay, as the humorosity of the joke per- 
meated his department of the ridiculous. 
Ho! Ho! Ho! Ha! Ha! Ha! He! He! 
He!' 

"And for a full minute it was feared that 
Quay would burst a gallus or have an apo- 
plectic fit. 

"It will thus be sem that Col. Armoy 
Knox's visit to \\'ashington w'as not in vain." 

— S.\M HVDSOX. 



^[att Carpenter, when leaving the L^nited 
-States Senate, remarked: "Well. I was tu- 
tored by an old Democrat from whom I got 
my views of the Constitution and I have 
sometiiTics voted with the Democrats on Con- 
stitutional questions. I am to be succeeded 

by Cameron who don't know a d d thing 

about what is in the Constitution, and he 
wouldn't respect it if he did." 



Maurice R. Dillon 

Maurice K. Dillon belongs to that class of 
constructive men who add to the creature 
comforts of the world. A civil engineer, an 
architect, and a master builder, he has con- 
tributed in no small measure to the wondrous 
growth of the city of Philadeljihia. He is of 
Welsh ,-\nrestrv, .md wa^ born in Philadel- 




phia, .SeiJteniber lo. iS()i. He is a product 
of the public school system, which was sup- 
plemeiued by a technical course at the famous 
Franklin Institute, that of architecture, and 
graduated therefrom in l8-g. In order to 
further equip himself for the career he had 
marked out. he identified himself with a well- 
known engineer to master the intricacies of 
civil engineering. During this time he also 
look up the practical building trade and con- 
nected himself with Stephen A. Hum|)hries, 
a leading master builder, who conducted large 
operations. Later he embarked in the build- 
ing line on his own account, in which he be- 
came very successful, and built and put on 
the market upward of fifteen hundred two- 
and three-story dwelling-houses in the north- 
eastern section of the city and in West Phila- 
delphia. Mr. Dillon is now the architect and 
has charge of the real estate business of 
Harry .Shoch, one of the leading operative 
builders of the city. Mr. Dillon is a Free and 
.Accepted Mason. He is a pronn'nent and 
active member of the Young Republican Club 



176 



Pciinsxk'aiiia ami Its Public Ulcn. 



and the Penrose ami I lamilton Clubs, and is a 
former jjresident of the Parkside Republican 
Club. He is an ardent Republican, and is 
admired for his social qualities and good fel- 
lowship. 



John W. Eckert 



President 



the Allentown Fair 




John W. Eckert, of Allentown, is one of 
the most progressive and public spirited fac- 
tors of that busy metropolis of the Lehigh 
Valley. He has devoted his life to solid busi- 
ness pursuits, and in the development of the 
wonderful cement industry of that section 
which is bringing vast wealth into Pennsyl- 
vania. Mr. Eckert is a native of Lehigh 
County, and was born March 13, 1856. He 
was fortunately able to receive a liberal edu- 
cation, and Lehigh University is his alma 
mater, he graduating in the class of 1875. 
Immediately upon the completion of his col- 
legiate course, Mr. Eckert tackled the serious 
business problem of life, and engaged in 
the manufacture of Portland cement, in 
which he has amassed an independent for- 
tune. His identification with this important 
interest is very large. He is President of the 
American Cement Company, the Reliance 
Cement Company, and the Central Cement 
Company. He has other important industrial 
connections, being President of the Egypt 
Baking Comijanv, Limited, and 1st ^'ice- 



President of the Allentown Trust Company. 
Mr. Eckert is an enthusiastic breeder of the 
thoroughbred Jersey cattle, and is a member 
of its national organization. He has a splen- 
did farm in the Lehigh Valley of 500 acres, 
and a dairy stocked with 100 head of pure 
herded Jersey cattle. This led to his selec- 
tion as President of the Great Allentown 
Fair, one of the largest and most successful 
agricultural exhibitions held in the United 
States. He has thrown his whole energy into 
the management of this fair, and he promises 
that it shall become greater than ever. 

Mr. Eckert is a member of the Livingston 
Club, charter member of St. Leger Club, 
member of Lodge No. 130 Elks, the Clover 
Club, Chi Phi College Fraternity, the Allen- 
tiiwn Ciun Club, and the Men's Fishing Club. 



William Kayser 



Philadelphia 

\\'illiam Kayser, Republican, of the Fourth 
Ward of Philadelphia, was born in that city 
Mav 7, 1867. His education was limited, he 
having been obliged to leave school when 
eleven years old. At that early age he went 
into the hat store of his brother in Philadelphia, 
and remained there for thirteen years, finally 
becoming manager of the establishment. For 
the past fourteen years he has prosecuted the 
bottling business. In 1900 there was a strong 
demand for his nomination by the Republican 
partv of the Fourth Ward as a canilidate for 
the House of Representatives, and in response 
he decided to run. The Democrats made an 
unusually active and strong fight to elect their 
nominee, but Mr. Kayser was victorious by 
a good majority. The Fourth Ward was in 
the McAleer Congressional District, and it 
was the political storm center in 1900 because 
of the terrific fight made between the friends 
and enemies of the Democrat who had so long 
represented the district in Congress. Mr. 
Kayser is a member of the First Ward and 
Fourth Ward Republican Clubs, and has been 
in close touch with politics since he became 
of age, never deviating from his adherence 
to the party which has honored him by send- 
ing him to the Legislature. At the session 
of 1901 he was a member of the Comtnittees 
on Banks, Public Buildings, Elections, Mu- 
nicipal Corporations and Insurance. In 1904 
he received his second nomination from the 
Republican party, and his election was almost 
unanimous, the Democratic candidate receiv- 
ing only 41Q votes, while Mr. Kayser obtained 
35.S9- At the session of 1905 he served on 
the Committees on Insurance, Centennial Af- 
fairs, Law and Order, and Library. 



Penusxk'ania and Its Public Men. 



177 



Joseph H. Klemmer 

Director o( Supplies 

Joseph H. Kleninicr has devoted his life to 
practical politics and is an intreg;al part of 
the Republican organization of Philailclphia. 




Born in New York, he was brought to Phila- 
delphia by his parents when four years old. 
His education was acquired in the North East 
Grammar School and a commercial college. 
The Eleventh Ward, in which he lived, was 
a Democratic stronghold, but he early identi- 
fied himself with the Republican party, and 
his first political job was a United States 
ganger. Later he was promoted to a clerk- 
ship in the Internal Revenue Office, and then 
was appointed to a responsible position in the 
Controller's office, under E. Harper Jeffries. 
He was retained under Controller Dechert, 
Democrat. Subsequently he resigned and was 
appointed by Tax Receiver John Taylor as a 
Collector of Delinquent Taxes. During the 
administration of John W'anamaker as Post- 
master-General he was made a postal clerk. 
but his political activity and influence in the 
Republican organization enabled him to com- 
mand the position of Harbor Master under 
Governor Stone. He had now become the 
party leader of the Eleventh Ward, and in 
1894 he ran for his first elective office, that 
of Select Councilman, and after a spirited 
contest was elected by 400 majority, being the 
12 



first Republican to take his seat in that body 
from the Eleventh Ward. He served two 
terms of three years, and was then nominated 
and elected Register of Wills. The Legisla- 
ture had enacted a law confining the emolu- 
ments of the office strictly to the salary of 
$5000. all fees accruing to the State. Mr. 
Kknnner retained fees amounting to $10,000, 
which the State sued for, and the case was 
decided in Mr. Klemnier's favor upon the 
ground that the law was unconstitutional. At 
the beginning of Mayor Reyburn's .Adminis- 
tration in 1907 Mr. Klemmer was appointed 
Director of Supplies, which office he still oc- 
cupies. He is noted for his friendship for the 
Hon. I. W. Durham, and has been his com- 
])anion in his earlh wanderings in search of 
health. Mr. Klemmer is one of the most pop- 
ular of the Republican leaders, and has the 
distinction of having changed a strong Demo- 
cratic ward into a reliable Republican one. 



Harmon M. Kephart 



_-onneisvillc 




ll.irnioM M. Kephart, the Chief Clerk of 
the Senate of I^ennsylvania, occupies a place 
which has been filled by men whose names 
are familiar to the people of the State, such 
as Russell Errett, Thomas .A. Corcoran, and 
George Pearson, and in which the incumbent 
is liable to grow into a fixture, since he be- 



178 



Pcniisyk'ania and Its Public Men. 



comes an imlisijensalilc part of the machinery 
of the Legislature. 

Mr. Kephart is the orphan son of a brave 
soldier of the War of the Rebellion, Samuel 
A., and was born at Frankstown. Blair 
County, July 17, 1865. His father dying 
while he was yet a lad, he was placed in the 
State Soldiers' Orphan School at JNfcAlister- 
ville, where he received what education that 
institution afforded. Upon leaving the school 
he took up railroading, and became a locomo- 
tive fireman of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail- 
road, and graduated as an engineer, which 
occupation he followed for sixteen years, 
with his home at Connellsville. He began to 
take an active interest in the politics of 
Fayette County, as a Republican, soon after 
attaining voting age, and in 1894 he had at- 
tained a position in the affairs of his party 
that his friends demanded and obtained for 
him the nomination for the Legislature, and 
to which he was elected by a handsome ma- 
jority while still manipulating the throttle of 
a locomotive. He served in the session of 
1895, and then returned to railroading, which 
he continued until 1897, when he resigned and 
entered into the real estate business in Con- 
nellsville, and which he still successfully pur- 
sues. Mr. Kephart was a delegate to the Na- 
tional Republican Convention at Chicago in 
1908, and voted for the nominations of Taft 
and Sherman. He took the seat of Frank M. 
Fuller, Secretary of the Commonwealth in the 
Republican State Committee upon the latter's 
death in 1905. and which carried with it the 
party leadership of Fayette County. 

At the organization of the State Senate of 
1909 he was chosen its chief clerk, succeeding 
Frank A. Judd, of Beaver. Mr. Kephart is a 
member of the State League of Republican 
Clubs, of the Americus Club of Pittsburg, and 
of the Order of Elks. 



Quay's Telegram to Gen. Beaver 

The true facts in relation to the alleged and 
now historical telegram which Senator Quay 
is said to have sent to General Beaver in his 
second campaign for Governor, — "Dear Bea- 
ver: Don't talk," are these: The telegram 
was never sent to Beaver, although there is 
every presumption that Senator Quav had 
really written it for that purpose. It was 
picked up on the floor of Quav's room in the 
Lochiel Hotel at Harrisburg bv a caller. It 
was on a Western Union blank and in Quay's 
scrawly handwritin?, but he had evidently 
changed his mind about wiring and had dis- 
carded it. The finder showed it to a news- 
paper man who put the story out as though 
it had been sent. 



Hon. Louis Arthur Watres 

Scranton 

Louis A. Watres' interesting and romantic 
life story is but a repetition of that of nearly 
every man in the anthracite coal fields of 
Pennsylvania who has arisen to distinction, 
influence, and power. He began in the mines 
an urchin of ten, and his long, useful and 




successful career should have included the 
governorship to which honor he is justly 
entitled, and which was denied him through 
the exigencies of the machine politics of the 
State. While his friends have been unable 
to secure it for him, he enjoys the knowledge 
that he held the balance of power when at 
least two governorships were involved, and 
that his strength thrown to the candidates, 
notably in the instance of Samuel W'. Penny- 
packer, insured their nominations. But he 
possesses the comfort of an honorable and 
distinguished public service. He was a bril- 
liant and useful member of the State Senate, 
and presided over its deliberations with char- 
acteristic dignity for two sessions as the Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of the State. At the bar, his 
chosen profession, he has made an enviable 
reputation, and as a business man : organiz- 
ing, developing, and managing large industrial 
and financial undertakings -and concerns, he 
has displayed a genius that places him in the 
foremost rank of Pennsylvania's "Men of 



Pciiiisxk'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



179 



Affairs." One of the most lovable of men, 
one of the most honorable of men in business 
matters as well as in every other transaction. 
Louis A. Watres' word is accepted by the 
world as his bond, and he has never defaulted 
in a redemption, (iovernor Watres was born 
in the mining patch of Mt. X'ernon. now the 
borough of Winton, then in Luzerne, and 
now in Lackawanna County, .April 21, 1851. 
His father was one of the earlier settlers 
of the coal-ladencd Lackawanna \'alley. an 
elder in the Presbyterian Church, a ^Lagistrate 
of Scranton for twenty years, and known as a 
friend of the poor and oppressed. His mother, 
a sweet and gifted poetess, died in 1885, and 
under the nom dc pUtmc of "Stella of Lacka- 
wanna," published her poems in the Ncz>j York 
Home Journal and other literary papers of 
the day. One, "Send Them Home Tenderly," 
was set to music and was heard in nearly 
every patriotic home in the North during the 
Rebellion. The future Lieutenant-Governor 
w-as compelled by family necessities to break 
from school when ten years old and go to 
the mines at Archbald. Even when a lad his 
business instinct showed itself as he gathered 
coal and peddled it from wagons. He also 
worked for the Delaware & Hudson Canal 
Company. The family moved to Scranton in 
1865, where he obtained the coveted advan- 
tage of two years of schooling and private 
tuition in evenings. At si.xteen he again took 
up life's battle and engaged alternatively as 
a store clerk, an engineer, and bookkeeper 
until 1870, when, through his political activity 
and the influence of his father, he was ap- 
pointed .Assistant Postmaster of Scranton. 
Later he was made teller of the ^[e^chants' 
and Mechanics' Bank, and subsequently was 
cashier of the Scranton Savings and Trust 
Company. He was now about twenty-two and 
was regarded as a young man of great prom- 
ise. His inclination led him to the law. and 
he began its study under the direction of the 
Hon. John Handley, then the leader of the 
Lackawanna bar and was admitted imme- 
diately after the county of Lackawanna was 
created in 1878. His abilities and application 
advanced him rapidly. One of his earlier 
cases, when he selected to represent the State, 
was that of the Sanderson .Appeal, argued in 
the Supreme Court with the well-known Fo.x 
appeal, testing the validity of the Revenue 
Act of 1885. In 1882 he was given the office 
of City Solicitor for Scranton. which he held 
until 1890. He had in the meantime forged 
rapidly to the front in the Republican party. 
and in 1882 he became the candidate for the 
State Senate in the old Twentieth District 
(Lackawanna and part of Luzerne). The 
district was naturally Democratic by 2000, 
but Governor Watres' personal popularity and 



his spiriteil canvass caused him to be elected 
by 2000 majority. In 1886 he was re-elected 
by an increased majority. He took a leading 
part in the heated discussions of the Senate, 
and took great interest in important mining 
measures, (iovernor Watres has also ha<l an 
honorable career in the State militia. .After 
the labor riots of 1877 he joined the Thir- 
teenth Regiment, and was elected .Second 
Lieutenant of Coiupany C. He was after- 
ward made Captain of CoiTipany .A. and as 
such made a brilliant record both for himself 
and regiment by wiiniing the second trophy 
in the drilling contest during the great Oriole 
celebration in Baltimore in 1882. He was 
noted for his disci|)line. and for seven years 
qualified every man of his company as a 
marksman, which fact gained for him the 
unsolicited appointment by Governor Beaver 
of General Inspector of Rifle Practice, with 
the rank of Colonel. He was subsequently 
Colonel of the Thirteenth Regiment for sev- 
eral years. In 1874 Governor Watres wedded 
Eflfie Hawley. a teacher and a talented artist. 
In l8go he was elected Lieutenant-Governor, 
although the Democrats elected Robert E. 
Pattison Governor, and so served until 1895. 
He was President of the Board of Pardons, 
and Vice-President of the Pennsylvania 
World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago. 
In 1891 he was the Republican State Chair- 
man. Governor Watres of late years has 
devoted himself to his large financial inter- 
ests. He is President of the County Savings 
and Trust Company, and the Title Guaranty 
Trust Cotnpany of Scranton, President of the 
Brookside Coal Company, the Springbrook 
Water Supply Company, the Mansfield Water 
Company, the Scranton & Pittstown Trac- 
tion Company, the Economic Light. Heat 
and Power Company, the Pittston Slate Com- 
panv. and the .Scranton Boulevard Company. 
He is the possessor of one of the finest libra- 
ries in Lackawanna County, and is noted for 
his literary acquirements. He has been a 
delegate to Republican State and Xational 
Conventions, and has exerted a wide influence 
in the affairs of the Republican party of the 
State. This is the career of a statesman, 
a lawver. soldier, and financier. 



Malt Quay Comes to Town 

Oh. have you heard the news to-day? 

Go tell it far and near: 
Go tell it to the boys around. 

The news that Quay is here. 
Go ring the bell and toot the horn, 

'Twill be sure to raise a cheer. 
The gladsome, madsome. dadsomc news, 

The news that Quay is here. 



180 



Pcniisxk'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



Charles Irwin 

Register of Wills 

Charles Irwin has been a fixture in the 
office of the Register of Wills, of Philadel- 
phia, for a period of thirty years. He has, 
during that time, filled important subordinate 
positions and is distinguished by being the 




only person connected with the office who 
succeeded in becoming its head. The leaders 
conceded the nomination to him. partly be- 
cause he was politically entitled to it, and 
by reason of the demand for his selection that 
came from the members of the bar. He is a 
native of Philadelphia, born in 1849. Pass- 
ing through the public schools he was put 
to the trade of a printer, and worked at it as 
a journeyman until his eyesight failing, he 
was compelled to abandon it. From the cast- 
ing of his first vote he was a hustler for the 
Republican party, and at twenty-four years 
of age, or in 1S73, was elected a member of 
the Republican E.xecutive Comiuittee of the 
Nineteenth Ward, and in which he served 
without interruption since. His claim upon 
the party was recognized in 1876 by General 
Gideon Clark, who appointed him to a clerk- 
ship in the office of the Register of Wills and 
started him upon his remarkable career in 
that office. He became Chief of the Tran- 
scribing Clerks under Register William B. 
Kinsey, Assistant Deputy under .\lfred Gratz, 



and Chief Deputy under Wm. S. Shields, and 
Register Singer until elected Register. 

When David Martin, the Republican leader 
of the Nineteenth Ward, was fought by the 
Quay organization and again by the adminis- 
tration of Mayor Weaver, Mr. Irwin was 
selected to lead the hostile forces, and his 
campaigning and political organizing abilities 
are rated high. He is just "a plain, ordinary 
man of the people," as his friends express it, 
and this fact makes him politically strong in 
his ward. He is a member of the Vesta and 
.\nti-Cobden Clubs, Quaker Citv Lodge, A. C. 
U. W. ; Past Master of Lodge No. 9, F. & A. 
;\I. ; Corinthian Chapter, No. 250; St. Al- 
bans Commandery, No. 47; Lu Lu Temple, 
and several other organizations. 



William F. Gleason 

Secretary to Mayor Reyburn 

William F. Gleason, it may be said, is one 
of the 3-oung men of Philadelphia for wdiom 
the future holds out a glittering promise. At 
the time this sketch was written of him he 
was holding the responsible and exacting posi- 
tion of private secretary to the Hon. John E. 
Reyburn, INIayor of the City of Philadelphia. 
This is a post in which, to be successful, is re- 
quired diplomacy of a high order, tactfulness, 
a keen insight into human nature, the nice 
faculty of discrimination, and a wide knowd- 
cdge and acquaintainship. Private secretaries, 
it may be remarked, are born and not luade. 
These requisites and qualifications are con- 
spicuously possessed by Mr. Gleason, who is 
the most popular secretary to the Mayor of 
Philadelphia in many years. He is Philadel- 
phia born, the date of his birth being the third 
of November, 1882. The maiden name of his 
mother was Amy J. Fine, and his father is 
John Gleason, an exclusive custom tailor, lo- 
cated in the Land Title Building. He was 
primarily educated at a private academy, and 
under private tutors. He subsequently at- 
tended the public schools, and then entered 
the Central High School, graduating there- 
from in 1903 with the degree of R. S. He 
was then enrolled in the Temple College, tak- 
ing a course of law, wdiich was to his taste, 
and W'hich he had determined should be his 
profession. Mr. Gleason then entered the law 
office of Murdock Kendrick, remaining there 
from 1903 until 1906. In 1906 he was ap- 
pointed a clerk in the office of the Mayor, and 
conducted himself with such thoroughness as 
to detail and gentlemanly deportment as to 
cause Mayor Reyburn, when a vacancy oc- 
curred in 1908 in the position of private secre- 
tary, to tender the place to him. Mr. Gleason 



FciDisvlvaiiia ami Its I'liblic Men. 



181 



is vice-president of the Associated Alumni. 
Department of Commerce of the Central IHkIi 
School, and is distinguished as a speaker and 
an orator. 



Peter J. Hughes 



Philadelphia 

Feter J. Hughes is one of the most inter- 
esting characters in the State of Pennsylva- 
nia, niid ill hi'; tiiin- Ii.' h;\^ iil.Tvi'rl many parts 




in life's drama: poliiician, promoter, busi- 
ness man, and newspaper man. Universally 
known, he is always the life of any company. 
He possesses a strong intellectuality, is noted 
for his marvellous memory and his ability as 
a raconteur. He is a general favorite in the 
political circles of New York as he is in 
Pennsylvania, and has counted the two famous 
Sullivans of the "Bowery," "Big Tim" and 
"Little Tim," as fast friends for years. Mr. 
Hughes is a native of Philadelphia and a 
product of the public schools. He came into 
political prominence in the Fifteenth Ward 
in the "eighties." being an active spirit of 
the Iroquois Club, a Democratic organization. 
Soon after becoming a voter he was elected 
to represent the Fifteenth Ward Democratic 
organization in the City Committee, and the 
following year was placed on the State Com- 
mittee. His first political appointment was as 
an assistant to the Superint. ndcnt of Fair- 



mount Park, (ien. Russell Thayer, and with 
whom years later he was associated in the 
development of the Auto-Bus Company, 
whose vehicles ran on Broad and Diamond 
Streets. It was natural that a man of Mr. 
Hughes' temperament and likings shoidd 
gravitate into the journalistic rank, and he 
became a member of the staff of the ! hila- 
delphia Times, rising to be its city editor and 
field correspondent. For his wor)< in the 
second election of CJovernor Pattison, he -..as 
appointed to a position in the Executive De- 
partment at Harrisburg, and subsequently the 
( jovcrnor named him to fill an unexpired term 
nf three years as a Police Magistrate. He 
was then elected for the full term, and aft.r 
-erving eight years resigned to take up the 
Aork of trolley development. 

It is not generally known that whi'e city 
■ditor of the Times Mr. Hughes became intcr- 
' sted in developing trolley transportation, and 
A ith Henrv V. Massey and others secured the 
lirst charters for lines to be operated by elec- 
iricitv in Philadelphia. At that time public 
meetings were being held against the intro- 
duction of the trolley car, and Mr. Hughes 
suggested to Edwin S. Stuart, who was then 
Mayor, that in his opinion it would be well 
to introduce the tro'ley system in the suburban 
districts. Mayor Stuart agreed, and charters 
were secured for the streets and roads now 
covered by the Fifty-second Street, Hadding- 
ton, and also the Southwestern line, now op- 
erating from Philadelphia to Chester and 
Wilmington. 

Mr. Hughes, with Hon. John B. Robinson, 
also secured the first charter for a trolley line 
from the Delaware Legislature, for a line 
from Shellpot, near Wilmington, to Claymont. 
I )elaware County. Capital was shy of in 
\esting in the trolley propositions, and as a 
consequence all of the charters lapsed and 
were afterward renewed by the companies 
now operating the lines on all the highways 
for which he had first secured the privileges. 
The several railway companies have now 
millions invested in the territory which Mr. 
Hughes was first to secure, but unable, 
through lack of means, to develop. 

Mr. Hughes is a forcible and happy political 
speaker and table orator. He is a poet of fine 
vein, and has given to music a social song, 
"Pass Around the Loving Cup." that will al- 
ways live. For a number of years he enjoyed 
confidential relations with Senator Quay. 



Estee, of California, who was spokesman 
for the committee to inform Benjamin Har- 
rison of his nomination 'or president, said : 
"There were many distinguished men before 
the convention, but vou were chosen." 



182 



Pciiusyhc'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



Mutual Republican Club of 
Philadelphia 

The creation of the Mutual Republican Club 
was inspired throush the displacement of Wil- 
liam B. Ahern as the Republican organi'.ation 
leader of the Thirteenth Ward by James L. 
Miles, then member of Select Council. Al- 
though it is now but nine years old, no polit- 
ical club in the city is more roomily and 




luxuriously housed, and stands upon a more 
solid financial basis. Its club house represents 
an inyestment of $50,000 with only a small 
incumbrance remaining, and is ingeniously 
adapted for modern club life. The prelimi- 
nary meeting for its organization was held 
April 29, 1900, and was participated in by the 
nineteen members of the Ward Executive 
Committee. James L. Miles was elected 
president, L. Eugene Yates secretary and 
Winfield S. Pugh, treasurer. A membership 
committee, composed of John E. Engel, chair- 
man, John W. Beckman, John C. Dougherty. 
Albert Moore and Dayid T. Smith was named 
and arrangements subsequently made for ef- 
fecting a permanent organization, which was 
accomplished at a meeting held on May 1 1 at 
Maennerchor Hall, when permanent officers 



were thus elected: Tresident, James L. Miles; 
Vice-Presidents, Leslie Yates and Ells- 
worth H. Hults ; Financial Secretary, John 
F. Flaherty ; Treasurer, Winfield S. Pugh : 
Trustees, John E. Engel, Albert Moore and 
Max Mayer. The club received its name and 
a committee was appointed to secure a club 
house and charter. A lease was obtained for 
the large modern four-story brick dwelling 
No. 706 Franklin Street, and after extensive 
alterations had bjcn made the club took pos- 
session of its first home in October, 1900, and 
in the evening a formal opening reception and 
banquet occurred, \i-hich was a most brilliant 
affair and enjoyed by 700 membrrs and lead- 
ing Republicans of the city. The membership 
at this time was 350. At the first anniversary. 




Hakky R. Woodall 

held May 13, 1901, the club was presented 
with a collection of paintings and engravings 
by its members and friends. 

At the beginning of 1905, the club having 
outgrown its quarters and being in a flourish- 
ing financial condition, the idea of possessing 
and erecting a property of its own occurred 
and was put into effect. The lot at 711 Spring 
Garden Street, 28 x 120, was purchased for 
$13,500, and Wilson, Harrison & Richards, 
architects, were authorized to draw the plans, 
and in accordance with the same the contract 
for the demolition of the standing building 
and the erection of the new club house was 
awarded to Thomas Reilly for $26,000. While 
the work was progressing the political revolu- 
tion of 1905 broke out, which disarranged the 
financial plans, depleted the membership and 
revenue, and the club was face to face with 
a dire situation. Then came to the rescue six 
substantial members, viz. : James L. Miles, 
Samuel D. Lit. James Cassidy, Morris Rosen- 
berg, H. C. Dunlap and John E. Engel, who 
pledged their individual fortunes for the cost 
of the undertaking, and loans were then ob- 



Pciiiisxk'aiiia a)id Its Public Men. 



183 



tained through various building association 
loans. These were subsequently taken up and 
a mortgage placed upon the property. The 
cornerstone was laid with ceremonies at lo 
A. M., May 14, 1905. Owing to the lease on 
the Franklin Street house expiring, the club 
was compelled to move into the new building 
before its completion and furnishing. The 
formal opening occurred .September 25th of 
that year. The Mutual Club's jjresent home 
is four stories in height, including a base- 
ment. Its front is of granite to the second 
floor, and above that the material is buff brick. 
with a bay window extending the full width 
of the building from the second to the third 
floor, thus presenting a solid and imposing 
front. 

The basement contains one of the finest 
bowling alleys in the city, heating (steam) and 
lighting (electricity) plants, and shower- 
baths. On the ground floor is a parlor, but 
this is mainly taken up by a splendid billiard 
and pool room containing fine tables. The 
second floor is devoted to miscellaneous pur- 
poses, including a reading room with a library 
of several hundred volumes, telephone booths, 
news and stock ticker, a buffet, a social hall. 
private rooms for the president and secretary, 
while in the rear is a large apartment for the 
meetings of the Ward Executive Committee. 

Upon the third floor front are two small 
social rooms, while the remainder is taken up 
with an auditorium which is fitted with a 
stage containing footlights, drop curtain, 
scenery and dressing rooms, with a seating 
capacity of nearly 600. It is here the famous 
monthly vaudeville smokers are given and 
political meetings held. This auditorium does 
not afford sufliicient room, and the architect 
has drawn a plan for its extension and the 
putting in of a gallery. On the fourth floor 
are the living rooms of the steward, and where 
luncheons are prepared and eaten. The rooms 
are luxuriously furnished, and several hun- 
dred fine paintings, engravings and portraits 
of prominent Republicans are displayed upon 
the walls. 

The Mutual Club has now a membersliip 
approximating 500. It turns out in all gen- 
eral parades in campaigns, and it holds mem- 
bership in the Republican State League of 
Clubs. It possesses a strong base ball team, 
and is a member of the Base Ball League of 
Republican Clubs. Its present officers are: 
President. John F. Flaherty: Vice-Presidents, 
John W. Beckman and Reuben Levi : Record- 
ing Secretary, Jefferson W. Smith ; Financial 
Secretary, Harry R. W'oodall : .Assistant Fi- 
nancial Secretary. .*K. M. Pennington ; Treas- 
urer, Morris Rosenberg. 

The club has had three presidents. James L. 
Miles, Leslie Vates and lohn F. Flahertv. 



William S. Wacker 

Lawyer 

William S. Wacker, prominent attorney-at- 
law. was born at Philadelphia in 1874. and 
maintains large and commodious offices in the 

Crozirr I'liilding, 1420 Chestnut Street. Mr. 




Wacker received his early education in tlie 
public schools, and then entered into commer- 
cial life in the capacity of bookkeeper, and 
having acquired thorough knowledge of short- 
hand, he was selected as a teacher of this par- 
ticular profession in the Young Men's Chris- 
tian .\ssociation, serving in that capacity from 
1892 until 1895. Leaving that institution, he 
was selected to teach commercial branches at 
John Wanamaker's establishment, and served 
in this capacity until 1902, after which he. 
studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 
April, 1905. 

Mr. Wacker has always been an ardent 
Republican, and has been identified with the 
political life of the city since attaining his 
majority. He has been sought by the leaders 
to accept office, but in all cases he has de- 
clined, prefering to devote his entire time and 
attention to the interests of his clients, among 
whom he numbers some of the largest cor- 
porations and manufacturing firms of the city 
and State. 

Mr. Wacker is a prominent Free and .Ac- 
cepted Mason, being identified with Philadel- 
j)hia Lodge, Xo. X44. He is also Secretary of 
the Forty-sixth Ward Republican Club. 



184 



Pennsylvania and Its Fnblic Men. 



George W. Kochersperger 

Chle( Clerk of Common Council 

George W. Kochersperger is now a land- 
mark of the City Councils of Philadelphia, 
and has achieved the remarkable record of 
thirty-three years official connection with the 
Common chamber. During this period many 
and varied have been the kaleidoscopic changes 
in the political management of the city wit- 
nessed by him. He entered upon his connec- 
tion with the City Councils at the time that 




Mayor Stokley was approaching the zenith of 
his power, and he has served through the ad- 
ministrations of nine mayors. The name of 
Kochersperger is a familiar one in the modern 
political history of Philadelphia, a family of 
brothers having been active in the affairs of 
the Republican party. George W. was born 
at Thirteenth and Brown Streets, Philadel- 
phia, November ii, 1847. On his paternal side 
he is of French Huguenot stock, and the fam- 
ily in this country can be traced to Martin 
Kochersperger, who emigrated from Switzer- 
land after fleeing from persecutions in France, 
and settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylva- 
nia, subseipiently residing in a house on the 
Schuylkill River near Sweetbriar. On the 
maternal side is German blood, the Engle- 
mans, one, Jacob, was one of the first County 
Commissioners of Philadelphia. The subject 
of this sketch attended the Hancock Gram- 



mar School, and was being prepared for the 
Central High School when General Lee beqan 
his invasion of Pennsylvania, and although 
but sixteen years of age, he responded to the 
call to the standard and on June 19, 1863, en- 
listed in an emergency regiment, the Twen- 
tieth, that was raised by Col. William B. 
Mann. On the 7th of August he was mus- 
tered out, but five days later re-enlisted, join- 
ing the Nineteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, 
Col. A. K. Cummings. Mr. Kochersperger 
served faithfully throughout the war, and was 
honorably discharged June 5, 1866. With an 
uncompleted education and without a trade, 
the young soldier was handicapped, but finally 
found employment with Alexander Bondron, 
a real estate agent on Columbia Avenue, who 
was an active Democrat. Mr. Kochersperger 
came out of the war a Republican. His party 
activity attracted the attention of State Sena- 
tor Council, who had him appointed a packer 
in the L^nited States Appraiser's Stores. Re- 
siding in the Twentieth Ward he rallied to 
the standard of David H. Lane, who was be- 
coming a political power, and who obtained 
for him the position of detective in the Dis- 
trict Attorney's Office, which he held until 
1875, when he was superseded by the famous 
John F. Sharkey, Democrat. He then assayed 
the role of a municipal contractor, but the 
factional enemies of Lane who were in con- 
trol, refused to shake the plum tree for him, 
and he quit and embarked in the real estate 
business. While so engaged his political pa- 
tron made him messenger of Common Council 
in January, 1877, when he began his remark- 
able record with that body. In 1878 he suc- 
ceeded Hugh A. Mullin as Assistant Clerk, 
and in 1894, through the death of the veteran 
John Eckstein, he took his place as Chief 
Clerk. Mr. Kochersperger has accompanied 
the Liberty Bell in most of its patriotic pil- 
grimages to expositions. He is of a jovial 
and open-hearted nature, which makes him 
popular and indispensable to the statesmen 
with whom he is officially connected, and who 
cheerfully re-elect him year after year. He 
is a member of the G. A. R. and the Masonic 
fraternitv. 



A Black Man Who Couldn't Be Bought 

The popular impression that a negro can 
be easily and cheaply politically purchased 
can be refuted in at least one instance that 
came to my personal knowledge. 

When the famous Vare Brothers, of South 
Philadelphia, had succeeded in ousting the 
late Amos 1\L Slack from the Republican 
leadership of the First Ward, they became 
ambitious for political honors, and it was de- 



PciDisxlraitia a>id Its I'ltblic Moi. 



185 



tcrmined by them, in 1896, that George A., 
who was then a member of the House of Rep- 
resentatives, slioulcl be advanced to the State 
Senate. In order, however, to make room for 
him, the picturesque and unique character. 
George Handy Smith, who had represented 
the First Senatorial District since 1.S76, had 
first to be eliminated. 

Smith was formerly a po'ice detective of 
Philadelphia, and had served a term in the 
House. He could enjoy the distinction, were 
he alive, of being one of only two Smiths 
who have been members of the Senate of 
Pennsylvania. That body has been short on 
Smiths. George Handy Smith strenuously 
combatted the scheme of the \'are boys to dis- 
lodge him. He had became wealthy through 
politics, largely through voting for street 
railway charters for Philadelphia in the Leg- 
islature, and being rewarded for it by the 
presentation of blocks of ground floor stock. 
He knew but little about practical politics. 
and that end was alwavs looked after bv 
Slack. 

The contest for the delegates was extremely 
bitter and hot, and when it came to the show- 
down prior to the convention, Slack and 
Smith realized that unless they obtained two 
additional votes they were beaten. 

-Amos Scott, a thrifty and enterprising col- 
ored man, had been elected a delegate, and 
Slack ascertained that his vote was essential 
for the nomination of Smith. The night be- 
fore the day of the convention he received a 
visit from Slack, who said, "Mr. Scott, I know- 
that you have a mortgage of Siooo on this 
house you live in. Here are twenty-seven one 
hundred dollars notes for your vote for 
George Handy Smith." .-Xnd Slack exhibited 
the money. 

"Put your money in your pocket, Mr. Slack, 
you haven't got enough money to buy my vote 
away from George Vare, whom I have prom- 
ised to support." 

The retirement of (ieorge Handy Smith 
from the Senate, where he had come to be 
regarded as a life fixture, together with his 
failure to attain the height of his ambition, 
which was that of lieutenant-goveronor, em- 
bittered his after life, and no doubt contrib- 
uted materially to his death. The lieutenant- 
governorship had been promised him by both 
Senators Cameron and Quay, and when he 
was set aside, in the language of the "under 
world," he characterized it as having been 
given "the double cross." George Handy"s 
loyalty to the house of Cameron was attested 
in his dress, he invariably selecting the Cam- 
eron plaid as the material for his pantaloons. 
.And here is one instance where money failed 
to induce a colored man to break a political 
promise he had given. 



Howard A. Davis 

Philadelphia Lawyer 

.Major Howard .\. Davis comes from an old 
Philadelphia family, his father having been 
active in political and public affairs, represent- 
ing the Tenth Ward in City Councils, and in 
1854 was a member of it>f rommittpc which 




acted favorably upon tiir Mrnin.niri^ granting 
the franchises to the first street car companies 
of the city. He also figured as a cons|)icuous 
candidate for Mayor. .Major Davis is Phila- 
delphia-born: his birth, February 12, 1862. He 
attended St. Clements' .Academy, and after 
three years in the Central High School, he 
entered the Law Department of the L'nivcrsity 
of Pennsylvania, and graduated with the de- 
gree of Bachelor of .Arts in 1883. He was, 
in the meanwhile, enrolled as a student with 
the Hon. Charles F. Warwick. At the time of 
his admission to the bar, September. 1883. he 
became associated with his preceptor, the firm, 
practicing law in all its branches. Upon the 
election of Mr. Warwick to the office of City 
Solicitor. Major Davis was appointed an as- 
sistant. He thus remained until 1902. when 
he was advanced to the post of second as- 
sistant. 

In 1902 he returned to private practice, and 
has been since so engaged, having offices at 
514-17 Franklin Building. He has taken an 
active interest in military matters, and served 
as Lieutenant Colonel and .Aide-de-Camp on 



186 



PciiiisylTaiiia and Its Public Men. 



the staff of Governor Hastings. During the 
Spanish- American war he was stationed at the 
niobihzation camp at Mt. Gretna, and assisted 
in the mustering into the United States service 
of 10,800 Pennsylvania vohmteers. In 1907 
he was commissioned Judge Advocate with the 
rank of Major of the First Brigade National 
Guards of Pennsvlvania, which position he still 
holds. 

jNIajor Davis is a member of the Union 
League, Masonic Fraternity, the Pennsylvania 
Bar Association, Law Association of Philadel- 
phia ; is secretary and a director of the Wil- 
liam Mann Blank Book Company, the largest 
of its kind in the country, and member of the 
Union Republican Club of the Fifteenth Ward, 
and the Philadelphia Athletic Club. 

In 1908 he served as a Taft-Sherman Presi- 
dential elector. In his practice he makes the 
law of negligence his leading branch, and in 
wliich he is regarded as a specialist, and is so 
consulted by other lawyers. Major Davis was 
elected to the Select Council from the Fif- 
teenth Ward as a Republican at the municipal 
election in 1909. 



Quay Goes Into Battle with $40,000 

Strapped to Him 

It is a fact not generally known that had 
Col. M. S. Quay been killed or wounded in 
the Battle of Fredricksburg in the War of the 
Rebellion, and his body been secured by the 
Confederates, it would have proved a rich 
prize. He went into that bloody fight with 
$40,000 in greenbacks encased in a belt and 
strapped about his person. Immediately pre- 
ceding the battle Colonel Quay had received 
from his patron and admirer, Governor An- 
drew G. Curtin, the appointment of Military 
Agent at Washington for the State of Penn- 
sylvania. It became known to the soldiers of 
the Keystone State in the Army of the Po- 
tomac that he was going North, and they in- 
trusted him with their pay to take home to 
their families. This reached a total, as I 
have already stated, of $40,000. It became 
evident to Colonel Quay, on the night before 
the battle, that a fight the next day was im- 
minent. His valor and his pride would not 
permit him to leave the front in such an 
emergency, and having resigned his commis- 
sion, he immediately asked for, and was ap- 
pointed a volunteer aid, and as such partici- 
pated valiantly in the terrific and bloody 
engagement. It was largely for this act that 
he received subsequently a "Medal of Honor" 
from Congress. Upon assuming his martial 
duties at this battle, he gave expression to 
the trite remark, "I would rather be a dead 
hero than a live coward." 



Frederick E. Keene 

Frederick E. Keene, of Philadelphia, is a 
business man who deems it his duty as a good 
citizen to partici])ate in public affairs, and he 
is consequently active in the affairs of the 
Republican party. In 1906 the nomination for 




the Legislature from the iMtih District of 
Philadelphia, embracing the Twenty-sixth and 
the Thirty-sixth Wards, was tendered to him 
and accepted. He served in the session of 
1907, and voted for the important reform 
measures that came before it, such as the 
Shern Act, forbidding pernicious political 
activity on the part of city employees ; the 
Personal Registration .Act, and the Uniform 
Primary Election Bill. These measures re- 
ceived Mr. Keene"s ardent support. His rec- 
ord was so satisfactory to his constituents 
that he was re-elected to the House in igo8, 
where he served on important committees. 
Mr. Keene is a native of Philadelphia and 
was born September 18, 1S60. He received 
his education in the public schools. He then 
learned the trade of an undertaker in all its 
branches, and in 1882 started in business on 
his own account and wdiich he has conducted 
successfully up to this time. His establish- 
ment is at 1710 S. Sixteenth Street. Mr. 
Keene has for years taken deep interest in 
public school affairs, and as a member of the 
School Board of the Twentv-sixth Section, he 



Poiusxlzviiia and Its Public Men. 



187 



maintains a supervision of the schools. He 
has served as a School- Director since 1902. 
and is now serving his fifth term as Secretary 
of the Board. Mr. Keene has always been a 
stalwart Republican, and in the revolutionary 
year of 1905 he stuck to the colors of the 
regular organization when thousands of active 
party men deserted them for those of the 
City Party. Mr. Keene is an active spirit 
in the South Philadelphia Business Men's .As- 
sociation. 



Hon. Michael Francis Sando 

Lackawanna 

Michael Francis Sando, now Judge of the 
Orphans' Court of the county of Lackawanna, 
has been in the public eye and a factor in the 
affairs of that county from the time practically 
that he was admitted to practice as a lawyer. 
He was born and has lived continuously in 
the city of Scranton, where his family is well 
known. His education was received in the 
public schools of that progressive city, he 
going through all the grades and graduating 
from the high school in the class of 1879. 
The legal profession had its allurements for 
him, and soon after attaining his majority he 
entered upon its study with one of the lead- 
ing practitioners of the Lackawanna bar. 
Upon his admission he became active in the 
political affairs of the city and county as a 
Democrat and in 1888 and when at the age 
of twenty-six, received the nomination for 
Representative to the Legislature, and was 
elected by a handsome majority. After serv- 
ing in the session of 1889 he was re-nominated 
in 1890 and re-elected. While a member of 
the House the future judge took a conspicu- 
ous part as a representative of the Democratic 
party, and was extremely active in securing 
legislation for the benefit of his county and 
city. He declined a re-nomination in order 
to apply himself more closely to his growing 
law practice. Upon the passage of the Act 
creating a separate or()hans' court for the 
county of Lackawanna, he received the unani- 
mous nomination as a candidate for its judge, 
and was elected by a flattering majority. So 
ably and acceptably did he fill the ofiice that 
he was re-elected, his commission expiring in 
1913. It is interesting to note that his col- 
league in the House and his inseparable com- 
panion of that time, the Hon. John P. Kelley, 
also arose to the distinction of the ermine, 
and was one of the judges of the Common 
Pleas Court of Lackawanna. Judge Sando is 
noted for the profundity of his learning and 
the justice of his decisions, his reversals by 
the Appellate Court being extremely rare. 



W. Harry Baker 

Hanisburg 

W. Marry Baker lias arisen from a page 
boy of the State Senate of i'ennsylvania to 
the .Assistant Chief Clerkship of that body, 
and this through natural adaptability and 

merit alnnc. Politics hn= hn 1 lirtle ti-. d' 1 with 




his advancement, since he never laid claim 
to being a politician. His is a similar case to 
that of the famous John SniuU, of Harrisburg, 
the parliamentarian, who founded Smull's 
Legislative Hand-book, and who for many 
years was chief clerk of the House. Mr. 
P>aker was appointed as a page boy of the 
Senate at the session of 1889 by Senator A. F. 
Thompson, of Dauphin. He was intelligent 
and (juick, and made himself particularly 
obliging to the senators and the clerks, and 
in the meantime he became remarkably pro- 
ficient with legislative routine. He grew into 
a fixture as a page boy and the leader of 
them, as Clarence E. Seller, of Harrisburg, 
is in the House. In 1901 his usefulness and 
knowledge was universally recognized by the 
.senators, and the place of .Assistant Chief 
Clerk was conceded to Dauphin County to 
allow of Mr. Baker's appointment thereto. In 
the battery of clerks he is "the man behind 
the gun." and is recognized as the man who 
moves the machinery of legislation with its 
thousands of details and cares. He is a mas- 



188 



Fciiiisxh'aiiia ciiul Its Public Moi. 



ter of parliamentary law and legislative pro- 
cedure, and a pilot of the presiding officer. 
Mr. Baker was born in Harrisburg, March 
30, 1874, his parents being James and Amanda 
A. Baker. His education was derived wholly 
from the public schools of his native city. 
When asked if he was identified with politics, 
he replied "Not to any e.xtent. I do just 
what I can."' In 1903 he became a member 
of the firm of Miller Brothers and Baker, en- 
gaged in the real estate and insurance busi- 
ness. Mr. Baker is a true lover of base ball, 
and is now, and has been for some years, the 
President of the Harrisburg Athletic Club, 
which is a member of the Tri-State League 
of Base Ball Clubs. In 1909 he was master 
of the famous Robert Burns Lodge, No. 466, 
F. & A. M., of Harrisburg, and is a member 
of Pilgrim Commandery, No. 11, Knights 
Templar; also of Harrisburg Council, No. 7, 
R. & S. M. ; Perseverance Chapter, No. 21, 
R. A. M. ; Harrisburg Consistory, S. P. R. S., 
32d Degree, Zembo Temple of Harrisburg. 
and Harrisburg Council, No. 499, Royal Ar- 
canum. 



How Fate Saved John Bardsley 

Had it not been for the treachery of a par- 
ticularly high-brow New York newspaper 
man, the city of Philadelphia would have been 
spared the burning scandal and financial loss 
consequent upon the Keystone Bank's "wild 
catting" and the defalcation of City Treasurer 
John Bardsley, and he, himself, would not 
have suffered the disgrace of a court convic- 
tion and a term in the Eastern Penitentiary. 

Here is an interesting story of the politics 
of Pennsylvania which has never before been 
written : — • 

In 1883 John Bardsley. who. through his 
many years' connection with the city coimcils 
as a member from the Seventh Ward and 
chairman of the Finance Committee, was 
unanimously agreed upon by the potential 
Republican leaders as the candidate for City 
Treasurer. This had long been Mr. Bardsley's 
ambition. He was English born, and brought 
to this country his trade of a tinsmith, to 
which he had added the range and heater 
business. He was popularly known as "Honest 
John" Bardsley, and his familiarity with the 
intricacies of the city's finances gave him the 
reputation of an authority. 

The outlook for the success of the Repub- 
lican city ticket was somewhat hazy, for the 
reason that Mr. James McManus, the old gas 
trust boss, was disgruntled. The late Colonel 
McClure was then at the head of the Times, a 
newspaper which was greatly feared by the 
controlling politicians of both parties. It is 
needless to state that the Times, under his 



vigorous and versatile editorship, exerted a 
strong influence, and, in fact, so potent was it 
that Colonel McClure was invariably consulted 
in the choice of the political candidates and 
party policies. He had forced the nomination 
for Register of Wills of his brother-in-law, 
Alfred Gratz, upon the Republicans, antag- 
onizing — as I have already stated — Mr. Mc- 
Manus, who, through the extinction by law of 
the gas trust, had then begun the descent of 
the political hill. 

The Democrats had nominated the boss 
drayman, Robert S. Patterson, of the First 
Ward, who was probably one of the most 
popular of the city's Democratic leaders. He 
was a great personal friend of mine, and I 
was deep in his confidence; so much so, that 
I can modestly say that he intrusted me with 
the making of a "deal'' for him with Mr. Mc- 
Manus. At a conference with the latter at 
his home on Spring Garden Street one Sun- 
day evening, we arrived at terms by which 
he was to throw his personal strength against 
Gratz and in favor of Patterson. He had 
thousands of loyal friends in the city who 
were pleased to follow him, even to the extent 
of cutting a party candidate. There was noth- 
ing discreditable in this deal. It was politics, 
pure and simple. Mr. ^Ic^Ianus desired in ex- 
change for the support which he was to bring 
to Mr. Patterson that the latter, in the event 
of his election, was to retain certain of his 
friends, employees of the Register's office. 
Mr. McManus wrote their names upon a slip 
of paper, which he gave me, and I, taking a 
cab, was driven to the house of Mr. Patter- 
son. I submitted the terms and the list to 
him, and he having approved of the same, I 
returned to Mr. IMcManus, and the "deal" 
was thus sealed. In disposing of this branch 
of the story, it can be stated that Mr. Pat- 
terson fell short of an election by but a few 
hundred votes, and this through treachery in 
his own party. 

The Democratic opponent of John Bards- 
ley was John S. Davis, of the Twenty-first 
W^ard, a wealthy oil man, operating on the 
petroleum exchange. He, too, was exceed- 
ingly popular, and hopeful of success. Dur- 
ing the latter days of the campaien I was en- 
gaged, in connection with Mr. William F. Mc- 
Cully, business manager of the Ei'cning Bul- 
letin, to investigate serious charges aft'ecting 
the honesty of Mr. Bardsley. In plain terms, 
it was charged that he was a forger ; but 
very few persons had knowledge of this, how- 
ever, and the investigation was conducted 
with the greatest secrecy. These forgeries, 
we ascertained, had been committed by Mr. 
Bardsley in connection with building and loan 
associations, of which he was the treasurer. 

He was one of the most active and fore- 



Penns\lvania ami Its I'ltblic Mat. 



189 



most building and loan society men at that 
time in the city. We saw a number of per- 
sons wlio were cognizant of these crimes, and 
also the victims, and obtained their sworn 
affidavits. A complete case was made out 
against him, and the story that I wrote, upon 
being submitted to the late Lewis C. Cassidy, 
the eminent lawyer, was approved by him. 

It was then within a week of the election, 
and the great concern was to get the start- 
ling information before the people. Several 
of the city newspapers were approached for 
this publication, but the character of the story 
appeared to be so startling and bordered so 
close to the law of libel, that they declined to 
print it even as paid matter. .A. very large 
sum of money was ottered to the owners of 
Taggart's Siiiidciy Times to print it, but, after 
a long conference with them, they, too, re- 
fused it. 

Realizing that it was impossible to .secure 
its publication in Philadelphia, the Democratic 
leaders then proposed that a Xew York news- 
paper be tried. .Accordingly, on the Sunday 
prior to the election, Mr. McCully and myself 
took a train for Xew York, and went imme- 
diately to the office of the World on Park 
Row. The late Col. John Cockerill was then 
its editor. We had a conference with him. 
read the story, and showed the supporting 
affidavits. He was greatly impressed by it. 
not only from a news point of view, but in 
the interest of good government. He openly 
declared that ^Ir. Bardsley was a dangerous 
man to be intrusted with the finance of a 
great city like Philadelphia. Our proposition 
was that a special edition of one hundred 
thousand copies of the World be printed con- 
taining the story, and that a copy be placed 
in the houses and business offices, arrange- 
ments having been already made for this 
before we left Philadelphia. Several thou- 
sand big poster sheets had al.so been printed 
with big lines, such as "Will You Vote for a 
Forger for City Treasurer?"' "Proofs That 
John Bardsley is a Forger," and which were 
ready to be put upon the fences and dead 
walls upon the receipt of a telegram announc- 
ing our success in Xew York. 

As ill luck would have it. a new managing 
editor of the World had taken his position 
that Sunday. He was a journalist of national 
reputation, now employed on a newspaper in 
Brooklvn. Colonel Cockerill said to us that 
since this was the case, and that the gentle- 
man had lived in Philadelphia for some time 
as the resident correspondent of a Xew York 
paper, and was familiar with its politicians 
and politics, that it was due that the matter 
of the publication of the story should rest 
with him. 

This editor was called in and he read the 



story. He said he would give his decision 
after dinner, and at 4 o'clock in the after- 
noon he left the office of the World. 

Early in the evening Mr. McCully and my- 
self returned to the World office and found 
that the managing editor had not arrived. 
We killed time waiting for him. .At 11 
o'clock he was still absent, which Colonel 
Cockerill thought inexplicable, since this was 
his first day on the paper and many matters 
of importance were awaiting him to pass 
upon. Colonel Cockerill then passed the copy 
out to the composing room, and the printers 
began "to set it up." .About 12 o'clock the 
missing man hurriedly rushed into the office, 
explaining his long delay with a story of the 
sudden illness of his wife. He then, to our 
discomfiture, declared that he would not as- 
sume the authority for the publication of the 
story in the absence of Mr. Pulitzer, who was 
in Europe, unless the World was given a bond 
of $100,000 to idemnify it in case it should 
be prosecuted for libel. It was then mid- 
night, and we were confronted with a situa- 
tion. There was no long distance 'phone in 
those days, but Mr. McCully wired John C. 
Davis, and an hour later a reply came back 
that he would be in Xew 'S'ork by the next 
train, and would give the bond as early Mon- 
day morning as possible. 

But this did not satisfy the managing edi- 
tor. Colonel Cockerill showed his disgust, 
but declared that he would have to stand by 
the decision, much as he was desirous of 
bringing about the defeat of a candidate 
whose election was full of peril to Philadel- 
phia. It was conceded that Tuesday morn- 
ing, the day of election, would be too late 
for the efifect of the publication, and so we 
returned to Philadelphia. .Some time after 
that it was learned that the managing editor 
who had blocked the game had. after leaving 
the World office to dine, as he declared to us. 
taken a train for Philadelphia : that he had 
seen Mr. Bardsley, and had made financial 
arrangements with him to stop the publication 
of the story. This information was given by 
a political leader who was conversant with 
the transaction. Had the scheme for this pub- 
lication succeeded, it would undoubtedly have 
led to Mr. Bardsley 's defeat, as he had but a 
few thousand majority as it was. 



Roscoe Conkling's simile is thus clever "that 
certain individuals in politics reminded him 
of men who ride in railway cars with their 
backs to the locomotive — see only what is 
passed and are unable to know what is ahead 
of them." 



190 



Pcnnsyk'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



Dr. David Bishop Hand 

Sctanlon 

Dr. David B. Hand is one of those remark- 
able men who appear to be sent as blessings 
to mankind for the alleviation of its suffer- 
ings and whose professional fame has ex- 




tended throughout the United States. Stand- 
ing at the foremost of his profession, he is 
probably the most widely known resident of 
the city of Scranton. His ancestry extends 
beyond the Revolution. All of the mother's 
ancestry who were able to shoulder a gun, 
did so in the Revolutionary War, and four of 
the family, whose name was Dunn, perished 
in the Wyoming Massacre. Two of Dr. 
Hand's brothers and two brother-in-laws 
served in the Civil War, and one of each 
died on the field of battle. 

Dr. Hand was born at Hawley, Wayne 
County, Pennsylvania, March i, 1848, and 
when a lad of six he was bereft of his father. 
His boyhood was devoted to the support of 
his widowed mother and others of the little 
ones, his elder brothers having gone off to 
the war. Embracing every opportunity to 
acquire an education and better his condition 
he chose to become a physician, and began the 
study with Dr. G. B. Curtis, of Hawley, and 
progressed so well that he took a course in 
the University of New York, graduating as a 
physician when but twenty years of age. He 
had the confidence at that earlv age to enter 



upon the practice of his profession at Canaan, 
\\ ayne County, where he remained three 
years, and then established himself in Car- 
bondale. 

In 1880 Dr. Hand set up in Scranton after 
a recuperation in California, and purchased 
the property and practice of Dr. Horace Ladd. 
He had already begun to have a local fame, 
and so extensive became his practice that he 
was compelled to employ other physicians to 
assist him. His wealth increased and he made 
purchases of Central City real estate, besides 
associating himself in other enterprises. The 
Dr. Hand remedies for children are giving 
him a world-wide reputation. He is heralded 
in and out of the profession as the children's 
physician. These remedies are standard prep- 
arations and sold by all druggists. In his sys- 
tematic research into the troubles of children, 
he also found the necessity of an article which 
would take the place of mother's milk, and 
the result was Dr. Hand's Phosphated Milk, 
prepared by a chemical and scientific process. 
This milk is now prepared in the moimtain 
farm lands of the western counties of Penn- 
sylvania, and is in general sale. Dr. Hand 
has been eminently successful in his financial 
investments, and can be classed as one of 
Scranton's foremost financiers. 



John M. Patterson 

What can be said about this gentleman 
which has not been so often told? His name 
is well known in the annals of the law, as it 
is in the political arena. He was born in 
Philadelphia, in 1874. and is the son of the late 
Richard Patterson, who at one time was one 
of the active political leaders of this city and 
a distinguished member of the Legislature. 
The subject of this sketch was educated in the 
public schools, and was graduated from the 
law department of the University of Pennsyl- 
vania in 1896. Prior to his appointment as 
.\ssistant District Attorney, he was Assistant 
Citv Solicitor, and that under the Honorable 
John L. Kinsey. He also served in the Dis- 
trict .Attorney's office with distinction under 
the brilliant John C. Bell, and was reappointed 
by District Attorney Samuel P. Rotan. And a 
few words about his war record during the 
Spanish-American War. Mr. Patterson was 
Color Sergeant in the First Regiment, and was 
afterward First Lieutenant of Company A. 
of that regiment. He is a member of a 
number of political and social organizations, 
including the Young Republican Club, First 
Regiment Veteran Corps, Brewster Law Club, 
Law Association, and the L^niversity Alumni 
Association. His offices are located in the 
Crozier Building, 1420 Chestnut Street. 



Pciiiisxlz'oiiia iind Its Public Men. 



191 



Hon. Geo. McClellan Dimeling 

ClearBeld 

George M. Dinieling, the representative of 
Clearfield and Centre Counties in the Senate 
of Pennsylvania, has devoted his manhood in 
the pursuit of the luniher husiness, which he 
hesjan in 1S7S. and which he conducts upon a 




colossal scale. This has tH\)Ui;lu to hiin a 
large fortune, and his connection with great 
business enterprises has made him a man of 
distinction and prominence in central Penn- 
sylvania. He was born in Boggs Township. 
county of Clearfield, September 12, 1862, and 
received his education in the public and pri- 
vate schools. -Aside from his industrial con- 
nections, Senator Dimeling has participated 
actively in politics as a Democrat, and is now 
the undisputed leader of his party in Clear- 
field. He served as Treasurer of the County 
in 1893. In the campaigns of 1889 and 1893 
he was the Chairman of the Democratic 
County E.xecutive Committee, in which posi- 
tion he displayed skill as a campaign manager. 
In 1907 he was persuaded by Colonel (juffey 
and his associates in party leadership, to ac- 
cept the position of Chairman of the Demo- 
cratic State Committee, and conducted the 
campaign of that year, and also that of the 
national campaign of 1908. He declined re- 
election in 1909 owing to his business en- 
gagements. At the Denver convention of 
1908 Senator Dimeling opposed the nomina- 



tion of William J. Bryan as the candidate for 
President, believing in this that he was acting 
for the best interests of his party, the result 
proving his wisdom. He conducted the cam- 
l)aign for Mr. Bryan in Pennsylvania loyally 
and enthusiastically, however, and polled the 
full voting strength of the party. In 1906 
Mr. Dimeling received the nomination for 
State Senator in the Thirty-fourth District 
to succeed .Alexander E. Patton, Republican, 
ileceased. .Although the district had been 
naturally Democratic some years back, it 
could not be depended upon for Democratic 
victories. The personal popularity of Mr. 
Dimeling stood his party in good stead upon 
this occasion, and it was that which brought 
about his election after a bitterly contested 
campaign by 211 majority. Senator Dimeling 
is connected with a number of corporations 
and financial institutions, and is held in high 
esteem by his associates of the State Senate 
and in the Democratic State management. 



Henry V. Lawler 

Successful Politician of Lackawanna 

Henry V. Lawler has made a place for him- 
self in the turgid politics of Lackawanna 
County, and has had a remarkable career 
for so young a man. He inherited his love 
of politics, however, from his father, James 
J., who was a tax collector for thirty-one 
years and one of the leading Democrats of 
the county. He is a native of the town of 
Jessup. where he was born September 15, 1870. 
He received bis education in the public schools 
of Jessup, and soon after attaining his ma- 
jority he succeeded his father in the position 
of tax collector for the borough of Jessup, 
and followed him in his devotion to the Demo- 
cratic party. Removing to Scranton, Mr. 
Lawler started in the retail boot and shoe 
business, in which he has been very success- 
ful and in which he is still engaged. In 1908 
Mr. Lawler announced his candidacy for the 
office of Register of Wills, and so generally 
were his claims upon his party recognized 
that there was no opposition to him in the 
county convention, and he received a unani- 
mous nomination, his election bv a large ma- 
jority following. In Lackawanna he is re- 
garded as a young man of great promise and 
of a brilliant future. He has a fine personal 
pre);cnce and a happy faculty of making 
friends and cementing friendship. In the 
business world he is known as a man who 
meets every obligation or promise, and this 
trait he has carried into his political life. Mr. 
Lawler is a member of the Knights of Co- 
lumbus, of the Benevolent Order of Elks, and 
of the Red Men. 



192 



Pciiiisvk'Oiiia and Its Public Men. 




Thirty-sixth Ward Young Men's Republican Club 

Philadelphia 



Although the ^'ouiig Men's Republican Club 
and Literary Association of the Thirty-sixth 
Ward has not the flavor of age like some 
other similar organizations of Philadelphia, 
yet it can boast of being as old as the ward 
itself. When the Thirty-sixth Ward was 
established in 1892, being cut off from the 
Twenty-sixth, the active Republicans who 
thus found themselves suddenly orphaned, de- 
termined to form a political and social club 
which would be the headquarters for the Re- 
publican activity of the new ward. Hugh 
Black, who was the party leader, was the 
prime mover, and at his instigation a meeting 
was held on August 5th of that year at the 
premises southeast comer of Twenty-first and 
Federal Streets, which had already been se- 
cured for a club house. There was a large 
and spirited attendance of the division work- 
ers and active Republicans. The name of the 
club was adopted, steps were taken to secure 
a charter, a constitution adopted, and the fol- 
lowing officers elected : President, Hugh 
Black; ist Vice-President, James Ouinn; 2d 
Vice-President, A. J. VVhittingham : Record- 
ing Secretary, James H. Wilkes; Financial 



Secretary, George W. Atherholt ; Treasurer, 
James Bawn. 

The club prospered from the start, and 
within two years had outgrown its original 
home and a new one had to be found. In 
1894 the club moved to more commodious 
quarters at 1214 S. Twenty-fourth Street, 
where it spent two years of continued growth. 
It was then found that the club was in a 
financial position to vmdertake to own its own 
home and one roomy enough to meet the grow- 
ing needs, so the building at the northwest 
corner of Twenty-fourth and Wharton Streets 
was purchased, and after extensive alterations 
had been made to fit it for modern club life, 
it was occupied on November 20, 1896, when 
in the evening a reception and house warming 
was given which was attended by the leading 
Republican politicians of the city. The cost 
of the building was $6800. It is three stories 
in height. In the basement is located the 
steam plant and shuffle boards. A beautifully 
furnished parlor, reception room, and commit- 
tee room comprise the first floor. On the sec- 
ond floor is situated the assembly hall which 
has a capacity of 500, and in which ward po- 



PciiiisYlz-aiiia and Its Public Men. 



193 



litical meetings are held. A refreshment par- 
lor and a comfortable veranda completes the 
floor. The third floor is devoted to a pool 
room and smaller committee rooms. The 
membership is now 345, and its most distin- 
guished honorary member is Gov. Edwin S. 
Stuart. The club's financial resources are ex- 
cellent, and it has money in bank. While it 
has never gone as a club to the inaugurations 
of presidents and governors, yet it has al- 
ways been represented by a large contingent 
of its members in the big general downtown 
clubs, such as the Durham and the Reyburn 
clubs. It always turns out as a club, how- 
ever, in all the general night parades during 




,IaMES. W S.M1TH. REIOKDINi:, .SUrKETARV 

important city campaigns, when it is capable 
of filling its ranks close to 2000 marchers. 
It holds membership in the .Allied Clubs of 
Philadelphia, and the Republican State League 
of Clubs, one of its members. Select Council- 
man Samuel K. Stinger, being one of the 
vice-presidents of the latter. Its present offi- 
cers are: President, Hugh Black; ist Vice- 
President, Thomas .-X. Lee: 2d X'ice-Presi- 
dent, Charles W. Coburn ; Recording Secre- 
tary, James W. Smith ; Financial Secretary, 
George W. .Atherholt : Treasurer, Edwin R. 
Cox. Hugh Black has been president con- 
tinuously since the organization. 



Sheriff Connell's Lament 

I dropped into the Custom House with that 
"grand and good'' man. Sheriff Horatio Con- 
nell. We walked into Collector Cooper's office, 
hut the collector wasn't at home. His facto- 
tum, or rather, his political and business rib. 
Private Secretary Tommy Lindsay, was. how- 
ever. The shcrifif had merely dropped in to 
inquire as to the welfare of a two-by-thrcc 
appointment he had been trying to secure 
since last grass in th<- c-nit.nn-; service for a 
worthy constituent. 
i.3 



"lis not ready yet, Sheriff: but it's coming. 
Oh. yes; it's coming," replied the private 
secretary. 

"So is the Judgment Day," dryly remarked 
the sherilT, ai^d then we left that chamber of 
disappointment and forgot our sorrows in the 
flowing bowl. 

Then the .Siierift', he says to me, "Sam, are 
you aware that this is a cold and uncharitable 
world ?" 

"Have you just found that out?" says I. 
"Why, I learned that in less than two minutes 
after I was born — when they soused me in a 
tub of water — and the water had a slight chill 
on it." 

"Vou are diverting me from my line of 
thought," says the Sheriff. "Now, 1 was about 
to remark that it don't pay the political 
workers of a ward to capture a row officer 
for their diocese. .After they have succeeded 
what else do they get? Why. soup. Yes, my 
esteemed friend, and infernally thin soup at 
that. You have seen oyster soup embracing 
one oyster — one little, lonely, emasculated 
tariff reform oyster. You have doubtless seen 
bean soup with one discon.solate puritanical 
New England bean in it. Vou have tasted 
erstwhile chicken soup with the chicken thrown 
into it by the aid of a camera obscura. Well, 
that is the type of soup a ward falls heir to 
after it has captured a row office. Here. Sam, 
as sheriff of this town I ought to be a big 
man. The world does regard me as a big man. 
There is only one other man in the town who 
can arrest me. and that is Sam .^shbridge. the 
Coroner. And yet, I can't command even the 
humblest job for a constituent of mine in any 
of the Federal departments. When I ask for 
a hole in which to stick a peg. what do you 
think they say?" 

"Soup." I ventured to suggest. 

"That's it. You've struck it on the port 
quarter. They say 'Why. what's the matter 
with you ? .Ain't you satisfied ? Do you want 
the earth? Do you want all there is on the 
outside of the earth, as well as that which is 
on the inside?' That's how I get it. And. 
then, when I go home the boys come around 
and growl, and complain that I'm doing noth- 
ing for the ward. Sam. you've heard of Job, 
haven't you ? Not the Job who kept the job 
printing office, but the Job that was visited 
with the boils. I used to sympathize and pity 
that poor afflicted man before I became High 
.Sheriff'. Xow. I pity myself more than I ever 
did poor old Job. ^'ou always take sugar in 
yours, don't you? I can't; it gives me the 
heartlnirn." 



Bob Tngersoll : "Wherever there is a 
schoolmaster to hold a torch, there is a priest 
to blow it out." 



194 



Pciinsyli'auia ajul Its Public Men. 



The United Gas Improvement Co. 

Owner, Lessee and Builder of Gas Works 

The space allotted by the publisher of this 
work to the history of The United Gas Im- 
provement Company is too hmited to permit of 
even a bare recital of all the pertinent and 
interesting facts relative to the corporation. 
Having the alternative of an inadequate state- 
ment of the activities of the corporation in its 
various departments and fields of endeavor, 
and the selection of one department for more 
comprehensive presentation, the writer accepts 
the latter, and selects for his theme that branch 
of the work which has to do with the comfort 
and prosperity of the citizen and with the con- 
servation of the human energy and material 
resources of the community. 

The United Gas Improvement Company was 
organized in 1882, and in the hope and expecta- 
tion of financial profit. The way to profit, as 
the way was seen by the organizers, is indi- 
cated by the name they gave their organization. 
To realize a profit through improvement in 
methods was the motive. Economy was the 
mark. 

The company has made history from the 
year of its organization. At that time, one of 
the products of the rapidly growing petroleum 
industry was "naphtha." This now valuable 
hydocarbon was then of little demand. Large 
volumes had been burned, as the only available 
method of disposition. Relatively small vol- 
umes were being utilized in gas manufacture. 
The officers of the newly-formed The United 
Gas Improvement Company recognized the 
value of "naphtha" as a gas-making material : 
studied the various and wasteful methods of 
utilization of that day, and determined that 
among them the Lowe water gas process, then 
in its crude and inefficient infancy, held most 
of promise. It acquired control of the Lowe 
water gas patents in 1882. The development 
of the modern gas works was then begun. 
This development was bitterly fought by men 
and interests that should have welcomed it. and 
would have welcomed it, as they now cheer- 
fully accept it, had they not taken counsel of 
their fears, — fears never realized. Practically 
the entire gas industry opnosed the introduc- 
tion of the Lowe process. The United Gas Im- 
provement Company had the alternative to 
succumb or to fight. It choose the latter, and 
with argument and demonstration opposed the 
prejudices and misrepresentations of alarmed 
investors in gas plants, and the ignorance and 
fears of operators of old style systems. Coin- 
cidently it continued the development of the 
Lowe process, further demonstrating the truth 
of the claims made by its engineers, that 
through this field of endeavor lay the road to 
better service to the consumer and to an enor- 



mous conservation of the energies of the 
world. This was one of the bitter struggles of 
prejudice against progress in the history of in- 
dustry in the last quarter of the nineteenth cen- 
tury. Legislative enactment, financial distrust, 
misrepresentation, ridicule, professional os- 
tracism, — all the familiar weapons of a bad 
cause were used to protect the inefficient and 
to discredit the progressive. The brunt of the 
contest was borne by The LTnited Gas Improve- 
ment Company, of Philadelphia. Practically 
alone, it has fought and won this fight of 
progress and economy. 

The economic result of this development of 
an efficient apparatus to be operated under the 
Lowe patents, was to give an immediately in- 
creased value to a theretofore in part waste 
product. — to conserve the resources of the na- 
tion. — to relieve labor of some of its heaviest 
and most demoralizing work, and to vastly im- 
prove the quality of the gas supply in most of 
the larger cities, and many of the smaller cities 
of the United States. This was the immediate 
result of the struggle of The LTnited Gas Im- 
provement Company to earn a profit through 
improving the art of gas-making. The "spoil" 
of that economic war has been divided into 
three parts. — The greatest is the nation's, and 
is in the enormous conservation of the labor of 
men and of the natural resources of the coun- 
try. The next larger share is the gas con- 
sumers. — and this is in the social good that 
has come to millions of homes from the better 
supply of a cheaper and improved product of 
almost universal consumption. The least share 
is that of the investor in gas properties, and 
is in the bettered industrial position of gas 
companies, due to the improyement in the art. 
Of this least share the smaller part has come 
to The United Gas Improvement Company, the 
organizer and prosecutor of the great struggle 
producing it. 

Ten years from the organization of the com- 
pany this struggle was practically over. In the 
meantime, new uses discovered for "naphtha" 
had so increased the demand for this hydrocar- 
bon as to threaten the supply to gas companies. 
LTpon The LTnited Gas Improvement Company 
fell the burden of the emergency. At that time 
the heavy and sulphurous Ohio oils had not 
been economically distilled, and were generally 
regarded as impracticable for gas-making. 
The United Gas Improvement Company then, 
as always, experimenting, brought out a modi- 
fication of the Lowe water gas apparatus and 
method, suiting it to the use of the crude oils 
of Ohio. The economic value of a raw product 
of nature was thus increased, and a refined 
product was released to uses in which it had 
no substitute. 

A few years later, when a method had been 
developed for the economic distillation of Ohio 



Pcnnsxhaiiia and Its Public Men. 



195 



crude pctrolcuiii to yield hurniug and Iiiliricat- 
ing oils. The United (las Improvement Com- 
pany developed a modified method for the 
economic use of the least valuable fraction of 
the distillation. 

With the discovery of petroleum in Texas 
came a new problem to the gas world, — and as 
theretofore, — the gas world looked to The 
United Gas Improvement Company for the 
solution. Texas petroleum differs fundament- 
ally from the Pennsylvania and Ohio oils, in 
having an asphaltum base. The Northern oils 
have a parafRne base. The methods previously 
in use were not applicable to the new condi- 
tions. Again The United Gas Improvement 
Company considered and experimented — and 
as a result Texas oil — crude or distillate — has 
been made available and valuable for gas- 
making wherever transportation conditions are 
favorable. 

Thus, through experiment and invention. 
The United Gas Improvement Company has 
provided apparatus and methods for the eco- 
nomic use of liquid hydrocarbons of widely 
varying character — each requiring a singular 
treatment. Each of these developments re- 
sulted in the utilization of a material of little 
value at the time, and the releasing of a higher 
grade material for other uses, and this with- 
out deterioration in the quality of the product. 
.All other systems of water gas manufacture 
that existed in 1882, or have been introduced 
since, have proven economically inferior, and 
what were their strongholds arc now occupied 
by The United Gas Improvement Company's 
development of the Lowe invention. To-day 
75 per cent, of the gas manufactured in the 
United States is generated on the apparatus 
and by the system developed by The United 
Gas Improvement Company, from the crude 
and inefficient apparatus shown in the Lowe 
patents, with an annual saving to the nation of 
millions of dollars' worth of material and 
labor, and an improvement in the condition of 
employee and consumer that is of higher im- 
portance, and not expressible in figures. 

This development of the Lowe water gas 
process is The United Gas Improvement Com- 
pany's most important contribution to the art 
of the gas manufacturer, and is nuich the most 
radical and important advance made in the art 
from the invention of gas lighting to the pre- 
sent time. But the companv's activities in the 
field of invention and improvement have not 
been confined to this development. They have 
taken a wide range, touching practicallv everv 
detail of the industry and improving all they 
touched. There is space for a short storv of 
some of the more important of these. 

The first essential of good gas service is con- 
tinuity of service. Continuitv of supplv can- 
not be guaranteed by any supplier: but there 



is one, and the most serious, cause of inter- 
ruption to the How of gas that, in the present 
state of the art, may be prevented, the present 
state of the art being the result of the studies 
and cxijeriments of The United Gas Improve- 
ment Company's employees. This cause is 
naphthalene. It is formed in the gas under 
certain conditions, and crystallizes under 
change of temperature, often so blocking a 
service pipe that no gas can pass to the burners 
of the consumer. This trouble occurred con- 
tinuously during the municipal operation of the 
Philadelphia Gas Works. The number of 
service stoppages caused by naphthalene will 
never be known. Under municipal administra- 
tion of the Philadelphia gas plant there fre- 
quently were reported over 1200 a day, and the 
experience of The United Gas Improvement 
Company with naphthalene in the first sum- 
mer of its operation of the gas works was 
nothing unusual in Philadelphia. For several 
weeks in that sununer the supply to hundreds 
of consumers was so cut off each day. The 
only unusual feature in that year's experience 
in Philadelphia was the method of meeting the 
trouble: for each stopped service was opened 
within twenty-four hours of notice to the com- 
pany. There has not been since any trouble 
from this cause: for eight years no consumer 
has had any annoyance due to naphthalene. 

A few years a.go this natphthalene trouble 
was the "bete noir" of the gas engineer and 
a nuisance to the consumer, and was the chief 
material obstacle to satisfactory service. To- 
day it is almost unknown among progressive 
companies. The methods used to prevent the 
trouble were developed by the scientific depart- 
ment of The United Gas Improvement Com- 
panv. 

Uniformity of illuminating power is a cardi- 
nal virtue in gas service. .\s the art of gas 
manufacture and distribution was known and 
practiced twenty years ago. there was a wide 
variation from night to night in the quality o* 
the gas arriving at the burner of the consumer, 
and there was no certainty that the consumer 
a long distance from the point of manufacture 
would receive gas of even approximately the 
quality of the gas as supplied to a nearer con- 
sumer. The United Gas Improvement Com- 
pany, experimenting in gas generation and in 
the higher fields of physical and chemical re- 
search, has discovered and <lcveloped sue'' 
methods of manufacture, and has invented 
such instruments of precision — radical depart- 
ures from any past achievements — as enable it 
to deliver at all times, and to all consumers, a 
product practically unvarying in (piality and in 
value, to whatever purpose applieil. This work 
of the corporation is of iiarticular interest to 
the consumer of gas. It removes a serious 
cause of annovance aiul dissatisfaction. 



196 



Pciiiisyh'aiiia ami Its Public Mat. 



Accuracy of mLasurcuu-nt is of the first or- 
der of iinportance in the purchase and sale o.' 
a commodity. The continuing accuracy of gas 
meters has been secured by frequently testing 
the meters and oiling the leather parts. Each 
test and oiling makes necessary the removal of 
the meter from the premises of the consumer 
— sometimes to his annoyance and always to 
the company's cost. The United Gas Improve- 
ment Company experimented in methods de- 
signed by its engineers to remove the neces- 
sity of frequent testing, and developed its very 
simple, so-called "continuous oiling system." 
The result is a reduction in the annoyance and 
expense of meter testing and oiling, and in the 
loss to gas companies caused by the leather 
parts of their meters drying and splitting, and 
so passing gas to the consumer unmeasured. 
Coincident with this advance in the art of gas 
measurement, the company's engineers have 
designed a few simple alterations in meters 
that have reduced largely their cost. This cor- 
poration has made more improvements in gas 
measuring appliances than have come from all 
other sources in the last forty years. These 
improvements are being generally adopted with 
resulting good to consumer, public and com- 
pany. 

Among the company's more recent improve- 
ments in the art of gas manufacture is the- so- 
called "Economizer," a successful device for 
making steam with the sensible heat of the 
products of combustion and of the gas leaving 
the gas generating apparatus. This "Econom- 
izer" is a highly important development con- 
serving the labor and the fuel supply of the 
nation, and marks the successful ending of 
years of speculation and experimentation. 

The efforts of the company to improve pro- 
ducing conditions have not been confined to its 
water gas system. It has done notable wort- 
in coal gas apparatus and methods. The work 
of its chemists and physicists in gas analysis, 
in photometric methods, and in the develop- 
ment of useful by-products have the respect 
and admiration of the scientific world, and 
Go-^'ernment departments ask its aid. 

The use of gas for purposes other than 
illumination was little known at the time of the 
organization of The United Gas Improvement 
Company. The operating men of the company 
appreciated from the first the importance of 
gas as an economical source of heat and kinetic 
energy, and early gave their attention to the 
extension of its use as a fuel. Many progres- 
sive gas companies made similar and coinci- 
dent efforts to extend their field and increase 
their sales. The history of the industry shows 
that here as elsewhere The United Gas Im- 
provement Company was ever the leader. 
This effort of The United Gas Improvement 
Company to extend the use of gas has not been 



confined to advertising. The engineers of the 
company have made many and notable im- 
provements in devices for the economical ap- 
plication of gas to many uses. Manufacturers 
of appliances continually seek their advice and 
criticism — and such advice and criticism are 
never withheld. 

The Welsbach burner was introduced to the 
American public by The United Gas Improve- 
ment Company, and an American corporation 
formed by The United Gas Improvement Com- 
pany has originated many of the improvements 
in detail that have made this wonderful inven- 
tion a practical utility, a beautiful and most 
economical source of the artificial illumination, 
vastly increasing the comfort and economizing 
the means of rich and poor. 

A student of the history of The United Gas 
Improvement Company, if familiar with the 
gas industry as it has been and has been de- 
veloped during the last thirty years, and seek- 
ing to determine what the company had accom- 
plished of good to the public in general, and to 
the gas consumer in particular, would doubt- 
less credit the company with the development 
of the Lowe process as its greatest achieve- 
ment, and with the reconstruction and opera- 
tion of the Philadelphia Gas Works as its next 
greatest achievement. 

To convey to the reader an adequate idea of 
the company's work in Philadelphia requires a 
comparison of the conditions before and after 
the leasing of the Philadelphia gas plant to 
The United Gas Improvement Company, in 
1897. Because of the little space available for 
the purpose, this comparison must be confined 
to brief statements of conditions that have to 
do with the character of service rendered and 
the conservation of materials and labor. 

The candle power of the gas as supplied un- 
der municipal operation during October and 
November, i8q7, — the point of observation be- 
ing south of Market Street, — varied from 10 
candles to iSyS candles, with an average below 
13 candles. The candle power of the gas as 
supplied under the operation of The United 
Gas Improvement Company, and as tested un- 
der similar conditions by the official inspector 
of the city, has varied from 22J/ to 23^ 
candles. 

The street lamps under the city's operation 
varied in illuminating power from 8 candles to 
20 candles, the majority of them being nearer 
8 than 20 candles. The illuminating power of 
the lamps as lighted under the contract of The 
United Gas Improvement Company varies 
from 221,4 to 2S candles. 

Regularity in the pressure at which the con- 
sumer receives his gas is of high importance. 
The more nearly uniform the pressure the 
more convenient and economical the use of the 
gas. 



Pciiiisxk'aiiiii and Its I'lthlic Men. 



197 



The pressure conditions in Philadelphia un- 
der municiiial operation were so bad that in 
many locahties gas cooking was practically im- 
possible, and the lighting service was gcTierally 
unsatisfactory. These conditions have been so 
greatly and generally improved that gas mav 
now be efficiently applied to any fuel or light- 
ing ijurpose in any part of the city at any hour 
of the year. 

In December. 1897, when the Philadelphia 
gas plant was leased to The United tias Im- 
provement Company, there were, appro.xi- 
matcly. 20.000 gas ranges in Philadelphia 
kitchens. Many of these ranges were not in 
general use because of poor service conditions. 
The municipality made no efficient etifort to 
improve conditions or to extend the use of gas. 
Xo show rooms were maintained, no can- 
vassing was undertaken, no exhibitions given, 
no demonstration made. There was no adver- 
tising of gas and its uses. The gas cooking 
stove is a factor in the social improvement of 
a people. The United Gas Improvement Com- 
pany, by its improvement of the service, its ad- 
vertising, lecturing, soliciting and the expendi- 
ture of hundreds of thousands of dollars in 
free stove connections has brought this mod- 
ern convenience and economic factor into 
more than 200.000 Philadelphia homes. We 
can hardly exaggerate the social benefit this 
has given to the citizens of Philadelphia. 

For every 709 cubic feet of gas delivered 
during the last eleven months of the operation 
of the gas plant by the city of Philadelphia. 
291 cubic feet were reported unaccounted for, 
which means that the gas consumed by the 
citizens and in public buildings and street 
Jamps was 29.1 per cent, less than the amount 
of gas reported made at the works. This 
discrepancy arose either from less gas being 
made than was reported made or from leak- 
age from street mains. However the dis- 
crepancy arose, the materials necessary to the 
manufacture of 1000 cubic feet of gas were 
used for each 709 cubic feet delivered — a loss 
of 29.1 per cent. The unaccounted for gas 
under the The United Gas Improvement Com- 
pany's operation now amounts to less than 
one-third of this, with a corresponding sav- 
ing in the raw materials and labor of manu- 
facture. This is a matter of interest to the 
nation, for it means a conserving of the na- 
tion's wealth. 

This improvement in the operation of Phil- 
adelphia's gas plant has not been without 
large expenditure, great care, sustained effort 
and continuous watchfulness. The conditions 
of the lease put oblisrations on the company 
demanding its best efforts. It is by applying 
the system it had worked out in the operation 
of gas plants in many cities and employing 
in its Philadelphia service many men pre- 



viously trained in its methods that it has been 
enabled to meet the obligations assumed by it 
in 1897. 

The industrial an<l professional world are 
appreciative of the achievements of The 
United Gas Improvcnuiit Company. Its ad- 
vice and assistance are suught by men of its 
own and kindred industries. 

The people of Philadelphia are apprecia- 
tive of the good service rendere<l by the les- 
see of the city's gas plant. The increase in 
the sales of gas since The United Gas Im- 
provement Company became responsible for 
the supply — 160 per cent, in ten years — and at 
the price charge<l by the city — is one of many 
evidences of satisfaction with the service ren- 
dered. 

The employees of this public service cor- 
poration are. in the best sense, public ser- 
vants. Their intelligent efforts to strengthen 
and improve the position of their industry 
through cheapening and improving the serv- 
ice, are all in the public interest, tending to 
conserve the energies and resources of the 
nation ; tending to better the service to the 
consumer and reduce the cost and increase the 
comfort of housekeeping; tending to improve 
the condition of the workingman. It was be- 
cause of its own development of the great 
industry that The United Gas Improvement 
Company was able to lease the Philadelphia 
gas plant on terms and requirements that 
converted a losing into a highly profitable 
municipal investment : and a service that was 
a disgrace to the city and a nuisance to the 
consumer, to a service that has no superior 
in the world, and that is the admiration of 
the gas industry of the world. 

What is here written and much more of 
the work of The United Gas Improvement 
Company may be found in the literature of 
the industry and of general science, with com- 
l)lenientary context. Xo longer is its devel- 
opment opposed — its efforts ridiculed. Its 
incoming mail brings daily re(]uests for in- 
formation — its outgoing mail carries to the 
gas world and to the scientific world such 
intelligence of its specialty as cannot be ob- 
tained elsewhere. \\'bere gas men arc gath- 
ered in conference its work is large out of 
all proportion to the amount of its financial 
interest or the number of its representatives. 
Its fame has spread to other lands. — gas engi- 
neers and managers — chemists and physicists 
— students of economics and social science — • 
men of all classes from all over the civilized 
world have come to inform themselves as to 
the methods and policies of The United Gas 
Improvement Company. 

The company has prospered. It has earned 
and paid regular dividends, and had surplus 
of energy and money to extend and improve 



198 



Pennsylvania ajid Its Public Men. 



its service, and to enrich the science and de- 
velop the art of gas manufacture and supply. 
It has been ever a militant corporation. In 
the determined pursuit of its legitimate in- 
terest, it has fought waste and arrogance — it 
has promoted economy and courtesy — until its 
name and fame are known and respected 
wherever gas is made and used — on this con- 
tinent and beyond the seas — South, East, and 
West. 



H 



on. 



Charles F. 

Contractor 



King 




Charles F. King has been a contractor upon 
a large scale, making tunneling, mining, and 
railroad construction his specialties since 1867. 
He began his career in his adopted county of 
Schuylkill, Pennsylvania, with a contract for 
the building of the Philadelphia and East 
Mahanoy Railroad, which brought him into 
the favorable notice of capitalists and railroad 
authorities. His next big job was the driving 
of the famous Jeddo tunnel, a mining opera- 
tion in Luzerne County, four and a half miles 
long and which is regarded to-day as a great 
feat of engineering and construction work. 
Among the more important undertakings of 
Senator King were the widening and lining of 
the Pennsylvania Railroad tunnel at Galitezen, 
ninety miles of construction work on the Bal- 
timore & Ohio iK-tween Baltimore and Con- 



ncllsville, including viaducts and tunnels ; also 
work for the same company in the vicinity of 
Niles, Ohio; large mine stripping operations 
for the Coxe Brothers in the Hazleton region ; 
the building of the Cuaymand cut-off for the 
Erie Railway in New York, and twenty-five 
miles of construction for the Perkiomen 
Railroad. Senator King has also been the 
constructor of important railroad bridges, 
among which may be mentioned the bridge 
over the Potomac for the B. & O Railroad, 
and over the Monogahela River at Fairmount 
for the Yohoghany Railroad. In 1878 Sen- 
ator King went to Brazil as a sub-contractor 
under the Collins Brothers, and did work on 
the Maderia and Mamore Railroad. He also 
has engaged in operations in Mexico and con- 
structed a section of twenty-si.x miles, leading 
out of the city of Mexico, for the Mexican 
Central Railroad. He is a member of the 
Clement-King Company, which maintains 
offices in the Land Title Building, Philadel- 
phia. 

Senator King was born in Wilmington, 
Del., June 4, 1839. His father was a native 
of that city, and his mother came from the 
well-known Geddes' family of Bucks County, 
Pennsylvania. He went practically without 
schooling, since at twelve years he is found 
employed as an errand boy in a Wilmington 
store. His parents moved to Schuylkill 
County in 1849. Besides being a contractor, 
a statesman, and a self-made man. Senator 
King served creditably in the Union Army 
from 1862 until the close of the Civil War. 
He first enlisted in the ist Delaware Volun- 
teers and subsequently went into the 137th 
Pennsylvania Volunteers. During that time 
he participated in all the campaigns and bat- 
tles of the Army of the Potomac, Antietam, 
Fredericksburg, the Wilderness, and Gettys- 
burg, and was fortunate to have been neither 
woimded or captured, and he was honorably 
ilischarged as an ordnance sergeant. After 
his return from the war he took an active 
part as a Democrat in the politics of Schuyl- 
kill, and so much so that he was elected to the 
Legislature of 1871. He served for three 
terms in the House with such distinction that 
he was advanced to the State Senate in 1862, 
serving one term, when his expanding con- 
tracting business required all his time, and 
he did not seek re-election. 

Senator King continues to display an inter- 
est in the political affairs of Schuylkill County. 
He is' a member of the Friendly Sons of St. 
Patrick, the Art Club, the Athletic Club, and 
the Survivors of the Collins' Expedition to 
Brazil. He is President of the Union Safe 
Deposit Bank of Pittsville, and aside from his 
contracting business is engaged in other en- 
terprises. 



Pciiiisxh'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



199 



Joseph F. Gorman 

Allenlown 

Joseph F. Ciornian was bom at Siegersville, 
Lehigh County, about forty years ago, and 
received his education at the AUcntown 




schools. Having left school Mr. (iorman en- 
tered the employ of one of the prominent 
hotels in the capacity of clerk, and subse- 
quently confined his attention to the real 
estate business, and is to-day recognized as 
an authority upon real estate, not only in 
Allentown. but throughout the Lehigh Valley 
section. Mr. (jornian has at ail times on 
hand a choice list of manufacturing and resi- 
dential properties situated in his section, and 
which are available as investments or for 
occupancy. He is a son of John and .Anna 
Gorman. 

Mr. Gorman was early identified with poli- 
tics, and has been a staunch Democrat all his 
life. For the last sixteen years he has served 
his native city in the Select Council, and is 
one of the leaders of that body. It has been 
through his untiring and unceasing efforts 
that many substantial improvements to his 
particularly pretty and wideawake city have 
been accomplished. 

Mr. Gorman is actively identified with the 
Knights of the Golden Eagle and the Knights 
of Columbus, and is. in all respects, worthy 
of prominent mention in this review. 



Hon. William Drury 

Pillston 

William Drury has the distinction of hav- 
ing had a career in two countries. He was 
born in the city of Bristol, Somersetshire, 
England, in 1854. What education he was 
able to obtain was picked up in the common 
schools. Being compelled to eke out his own 
livelihood he found employment on a farm 
and at other occupations until he had reached 
the age of seventeen. He was an ambitious 
lad with a fixed determination of getting 
along in the world. He therefore determined, 
like many another country lad, of seeking a 
fortune in a great city. He went to London 
and found employment in a large drygoods 
store. Believing that .\merica presented bet- 
ter opportunities in life, in 1871 he bade fare- 
well to his old home and came to the United 
States, settling finally in the town of Pitts- 
ton. The coal mines offered there the only 
chance for employment, which he accepted, 
• ind so remained until he found a job of team- 
ster for a large grocerv store, and through his 




industry and strict attention to the interest 
of his employers, he was promoted and finally 
1)ecame the manager of the business. In 1885 
he resigned, and having saved money through 
frugality, he was able to set Up in business for 
hin^self. He is now the owner of one of the 
largest grocery houses in northern Pennsyl- 



200 



Pciiiisvk'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



vania. He early identified himself with the 
Republican party, but never took an active 
part in political affairs until 1900, when, by 
reason of his popularity and wide acquain- 
tanceship, he received the nomination for 
State Senator, and was elected by over 10,- 
000 majority. He served, during his term, 
on the Committees on Military Affairs and 
New Countries, and opposed successfully the 
bill for the creation of a new county from 
portions of Luzerne and Schuylkill with Haz- 
elton for the country seat. 

Senator Drury enjoys a splendid reputation 
as a business man. He is identified with im- 
portant business enterprises, and is a thirty- 
second deeree Mason. 



Mahlon W. Newton and 
Green's Hotel 

Philadelphia 

Truthfully may it be said that there is 
hardly a traveling man, and particularly a 
salesman, to whom Green's Hotel is not 
familiar as an abiding place, and its genial 
host, Mahlon W. Newton, is not personally 
known. It is one of the hotel institutions of 
the central City. It has been so popular for 
years that after the late train arrivals in the 
afternoon its rooming capacity is exhausted. 
It has enjoyed an uninterrupted and wonder- 
ful prosperity from the day the magic hand 
of Mr. Newton assumed its management back 
in the "nineties" and began its rejuvenation, 
improvement, and enlargement. Mr. Newton 
is a native of New Jersey, and had had a hotel 
experience of years before venturing upon a 
metropolitan career. As the proprietor of 
Newton's Hotel at Woodbury, he made it the 
leading hotel of Gloucester County, if not the 
best in the southern tier of counties outside 
of those located at the coast resorts. He ran 
it upon a high plane, and its table was noted 
as one attracting many city boarders. From 
a humble beginning of maybe forty years ago. 
Green's has now developed into a hotel of 
which any city would be proud. It now has 
a capacity of 302 sleeping rooms and is con- 
ducted strictly upon the European plan, and, 
in fact, it was one of the first in Philadelphia 
to adopt that plan which, in all great cities, 
has superseded the old American plan. 
Green's bar is one of the most popular in the 
city, and one of the largest. The cafe has 
been enlarged by Mr. Newton, and now covers 
a floor space almost equal to that of any other 
in the city. It is famous for its table d'hote 
dinners. He has always taken great pride in 
his cuisine, and his success and popularity can 
be largely attributed to the products of his 



chefs. For years Mr. Newton has given the 
management of Green's his personal super- 
vision, and being a hotel man born and not 
made. The house is keyed up to the highest 
notch of cleanliness, good order, unexcelled 
service, and thoughtfulness for guests. One 
of its points of attraction for years was Mr. 
Newton's famous Angora cat, "Tix," the por- 
trait of which heads this article. He was an 
aristocratic cat of distinguished lineage, that 
from its beauty, its amiable disposition, and its 




size attracted the universal attention of the 
guests and visitors to the house. Indeed, it 
can be said that "Tix" served unconsciously 
as a trade mark for Green's. It departed this 
life full of honors and ripe of age in the 
winter of 1909 while Mr. Newton was visit- 
ing California. It received a funeral and the 
genuine sorrow of its friends and admirers 
justly due it from its worth. Aside from mak- 
ing Green's Hotel a wonderful money-making 
machine and placing it in its popular class, 
Mr. Newton has been a bold operator in real 
estate, both in his old town of Woodbury and 
in Atlantic City, N. J. He has added greatly 
to the growth and the beauty of Woodbury 
whose loveliness as a country town has long 
been admitted by the erection of a large num- 
ber of high-class dwellings and the opening 
of ne^^' street';. He is now one of the lead- 
ing, if not the largest, individual property 



Pciiiisxhaiiia and Its Public Men. 



201 



owners of Woodbury, liaving unlimited faith 
in its future. Mr. Xewton is now in the 
flower of his manhood, and as a hotel genius, 
a business man looking far into the future, 
and a bold and audacious real estate operator, 
the star of his destiny is still on the ascendant 
and there is no telling what he may accom- 
plish or develop. 



The Very Fat Man Plus Grover Cleveland 

I'll sing you a song of a very fat man, 

Who dwells by the shimmering sea : 
I'll sing you a song of a prophet stuffed. 

Although he's no prophet for me. 
This very fat man was our President once. 

The great Mugwump idol, he. 
When a Democrat would sue for an ofticc 
snug. 

He'd blink and sing "Hi Diddle Dee." 

This very fat man before the voting began 

That made him the President prim. 
Declared that one term was ample enough, 

And that one term would satisfy him. 
But no sooner made snug in the big White 
House, 

This fat man of Buzzard's Bay, 
Than he began to long for a second term. 

And he longed for it every day. 

This very fat man was of very stern stuff, 

He ran the machine as his own ! 
To his political enemies he gave the choice 
meat. 

His own oarty got only the bone. 
Two strings were there to his little old harp, 

Play them, to play them he must ; 
The country will languish till it gets "tariff 
reform," 

A public office is a "public trust." 

This very fat man a sharp veto pen had, 

And only when he sjept was it still ; 
He scratched and he scrawled, and he scrawled 
and he scratched. 

And he vetoed many a pension bill. 
Toward the close of his term this fat Presi- 
dent 

To Congress a message he wrote. 
That tariff reform would ease all our ills: 

Thereby he cut his own throat. 

And now as he sits by the shimmering sea. 

Or skims in his yacht o'er the bay. 
This very fat man has a sweet, joyous dream; 

PlI be President again some day. 
Now this very fat man has stupidly written 
again. 

Opposing silver coinage free : 
Will he never learn the importance of this : 

'Tis best to leave well enough be ? 

— Sam Hudson-. 



George W. Spielberger 

Manufacturer 

George W. Spielberger. one of the best 
known business men of the northern section 
of Philadelphia, is the sun of John and Han- 
nah Spielberger, both of whom were natives 
of the I'nittd Slates. He was born in Phila- 




delphia, .April II, 1864, and is now in the 
prime of life, -After passing through the 
public schools Mr. Spielberger. being intended 
for a commercial life, took a thorough course 
at Pierce's Business College, and on June 4, 
1883, he joined his father, who had established 
years before, a hide and tallow business at 
3725 Old York Road. George W. eventually 
succeeded to the business, which is now prac- 
tically one of the largest of its kind in Phila- 
delphia. He has always been a staunch Re- 
publican, and the liberality of his party con- 
tributions, together with his prominence in 
the community, led the Republican organiza- 
tion leaders to induce him to become a can- 
didate for Select Council at the January pri- 
maries in 1909. He received 695 majority 
over John Hancy, and at the following elec- 
tion, which was spiritedly and bitterly con- 
tested by the Reform Party, he was trium- 
phantly elected, taking his seat on the first 
Monday of the following April. Mr. Spiel- 
berger is noted for his sociability, and is a 
member of the Ma.sonic fraternitv. 



202 



Pcnn^xlvania and Its Public Men. 



James E. Eckersley 

James E. Eckersley is a born political 
promoter, and has devoted years to the po- 
litical advancement of ambitious men to 
public office and to the interest of the Re- 
publican party. He first came into the lime- 




light and prominence in 1890 when he organ- 
ized and was President of the Young Men's 
Republican Committee of Philadelphia, and 
which promoted the candidacy of George 
Wallace Delamater for Governor. This or- 
ganization was also briskly employed in the 
interest of the Hon. Charles F. Warwick 
when a candidate for Mayor, in 1895, a"d 
for the election of councilmen who would be 
in sympathy with his administration. Mr. 
Eckersley, in conjunction with the Hon. J. 
Ham])ton Moore, promoted the famous Mc- 
Kinley mass meeting which was held April 
12. 1896, in the Academy of Music, and at 
which Senator Thurston, of Nebraska, pre- 
sided. The politicians of the city and State 
were lukewarm toward the nomination of 
McKinley for President, and Mark Hanna 
declared that this meeting did as much as 
any one thing to bring about McKinley 's nom- 
ination, as big Associated Press reports were 
sent out and the attention of the country at- 
tracted. 

Mr. Eckersley then became associated with 
the McKinley Business Men's League and a 



member of its Executive Committee, which 
promoted Mr. McKinley's election in 1896. 
Ife was also actively identified with the move- 
ment to make John Wanamaker a Senator of 
the United States, and he managed the cam- 
paign of J. Bayard Henry for State Senator 
and John F. Keator for Representative, both 
of whom ran in the interest of Wanamaker 
and both were elected. Mr. Eckersley was 
the political manager of the campaign of 
Jacob S. Seeds for Mayor in 1899, which, 
however, was not successful. The next cam- 
paign, however, which he undertook, met 
with better fortune, and for the first time Mr. 
Eckersley came in for a reward for his serv- 
ices by the fruits of office. He was the active 
promoter and manager of the campaign for 
Wilson Brown for Sheriff in 1905. Mr. Eck- 
ersley has been interested actively with every 
important political fight in the State and city 
since 1890. He was the founder and the first 
President of the famous Lincoln Dining Club, 
which includes in its membership some of the 
most prominent citizens of Philadelphia. Mr. 
Eckersley became attached to the Sheriff's 
office in February, 1906, as a special deputy 
under Sheriff Wi'son Brown, the place hav- 
ing been created for him, and in 1906 he was 
appointed Chief and Real Estate Deputy, tak- 
ing the place of D. Clarence Gibboney. Mr. 
Eckersley was again active in the campaign 
for Mayor Reyburn, and supported his nomi- 
nation in a strong letter and organized a busi- 
ness men's movement to secure his election. 
At this time Mr. Eckersley abandoned the 
Reform party, and returned to the regular 
Republican organization. He was a strong 
supporter of Joseph Gilfillan for Sheriff, in 
igo8, and the political leaders considered his 
services so highly that they passed a bill in 
City Councils creating the office of First 
Deputy Sheriff for him, and which he now 
occupies. Mr. Eckersley is a member of many 
organizations, including Mount Moriah Lodge. 
No. 155, F, & A. M. : Oriental Chapter and 
Philadelphia Commandery, the Young Re- 
publicans of Philadelphia. Pennsylvania Club 
of Washington, D. C. ; Young Republican 
Club of the Tvi'enty-second Ward, Manufac- 
turers' Club, Philadelphia Cricket Club, and 
the Atlantic City Golf Club, he being a golf 
enthusiast. 



A Cameron Coup for the United States 
Senatotship 

The election of J. Donald Cameron as the 
successor of his distinguished father, Simon, 
as L^nited States Senator, came to the people 
of Pennsylvania as one of the keenest sur- 
prises, possibly, in the political history of the 
State. It is true, there was a widespread im- 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



203 



pression that it was Simon Cameron's desire 
and intention to keep the Senatorship in the 
family, but not an inkling of when the event 
was to occur was permitted to get out. 

One night early in the session of the Legis- 
lature of 1883. the Senate being Republican 
and the House Democratic, with the Hon. John 
E. Faunce, of Philadelphia, as Speaker, the 
more influential leaders in the Legislature were 
sent for in groups of "two's and three's," to 
call at the residence of J. Donald Cameron on 
the river front in Harrisburg. The time of 
their visits was specified as after one o'clock, 
midnight. In the meantime a large number of 
country leaders were summoned to the State 
Capital, and as they arrived and registered at 
the various hotels, confidential runners re- 
ported their presence to ilr. Cameron. The 
purpose of the summons was not disclosed to 
them. Among the first to be sent for were 
David H. Lane and ex-Sheriff William R. 
Leeds, of Philadelphia, who accompanied their 
members. As they left the house Senators 
John C. Grady and George Handy Smith were 
going in. Mr. Cameron stood in his brilliantly 
lighted library, and in an adjoining room re- 
freshments were spread. He explained to his 
mystified visitors that his father had that night 
placed his resignation in the hands of the 
Governor and the presiding officers of the two 
houses of the Legislature, with directions that 
the envelope containing the same should be 
opened at a certain hour of the coming day. 
and that it was the wish of his father that he 
should succeed him. Upon the table reposed a 
paper upon which was written a pledge to the 
effect that the signers thereof would vote for 
J. Donald Cameron for United States Senator. 
During the remaining hours of the night, and 
until after daylight, members of the Legisla- 
ture and Republican leaders, controlling legis- 
lators, wholly ignorant and curious as to why 
they had been asked to come, entered and de- 
parted from the Cameron mansion, until more 
than a majority of the Republican members 
had signed the pledge. A queer part of the 
proceedings was that no pledge of secrecy was 
exacted from them. Here was a great coup 
and piece of news that was missed by the re- 
porters of the morning papers, myself in- 
cluded. It was not until the two houses were 
called to order that morning, and the resigna- 
tion of Simon Cameron was read, that the 
news really became public property. I well 
remember the genuine surprise it created to 
those not in the secret, and the shock that it 
gave the State. 

Motions were made in the two houses to go 
into joint session for the purpose of the elec- 
tion of a United States Senator, to fill the un- 
expired term, and J. Donald Cameron was 
elected. 



Frederick C. Ehrhardl 

Scranton 

Frederick C. Ehrhardt is now a familiar 
figure in the House of Representatives at 
Harrisburg. having had three elections to that 
body, serving in the sessions of 1905, 1907, 
and 1909, as a member of the Lackawanna 




delegation. While other Republican candi- 
dates in the three campaigns in his county in 
which he has figured have gone down to de- 
feat, his personal popularity has, on each occa- 
sion, insured his election. Mr. Ehrhardt has 
fathered important Republican organization 
measures in the Legislature, which has 
brought him into confidential touch with the 
party leaders, and upon the floor of the House 
lie is recognized as a factor. He has served 
upon the most important committees, and has 
devoted his energies in the direction of se- 
curing liberal appropriations for the institu- 
tions of his county. He was born September 
16. 1867, in the city of Scranton. His father 
was Charles, and his mother Fredericka 
Lorenz Ehrhardt. He comes of German stock. 
His education was received in the public 
schools of his native city, and from attaining 
his majority he has been engaged in mercan- 
tile pursuits. As a musician he is well known 
in his section, and is an active member of the 
Musicians' Union of Lackawanna. He early 
identified himself with the Republican party. 



204 



Pcniisxhaiiici and Its Public Men. 



and is now a member of its Council Board in 
his county. j\Ir. Ehrhardt is a member of 
Camp No. 430, P. O. S. of A. ; Cornet Lodge, 
No. 43, K. of P. ; Schiller Lodge, No. 345, 
F. & .\. M. : the Scranton .\thle'tic Club, the 
Scranton Yunger Maennerchor, the Musicians' 
Protective Association, and the Repub'ican 
State League of Clubs. 



George K. Hogg 



Philadelphia 




George K. Hogg is a familiar figure in the 
politics of Philadelphia, and for many years 
has devoted his time and energies for the 
benefit of the Republican organization of that 
city. His father was born in Scotland, and 
was an iron moulder. He came to the Lfnited 
States about 1850, and settled in Philadelphia, 
eventually engaging in business on his own 
account at 1336 Cherry Street. When the 
War of the Rebellion broke out he was one 
of the first to go to the defense of the LTnion, 
enlisting in the 3d Pennsylvania Cavalry. He 
arose to be a first lieutenant. While leading 
a scouting party of his company across the 
Pawtucket River, in \'irginia, he met his 
death by being thrown from his horse by the 
swollen water, and by drowning. Mr. Hogg's 
mother was American born and of Irish ex- 
traction. He was a babe in his mother's arms 



when he was bereft of his father. He was 
born and raised in the Tenth Ward, and owing 
to the family circumstances his schooling was 
necessarily limited. He attended, however, 
the Grammar School at Fifteenth and Race 
Streets, where he was a schoolmate of the 
Hon. James P. McNichol. At an early age 
he went to work in the shoe factory of John 
Mundell, who was a well-known Philadel- 
phian, wdiere he learned the trade, and con- 
tinued there until 1897. In the meantime he 
had married and moved into the First W^ard. 
Mr. Hogg began to take an active interest in 
politics even before he had reached the voting 
age, and his activity and prestige in the ward 
secured for him, in 1897, the appointment of 
Deputy Sheriff under the administration of 
Sheriff Alexander Crow. His services here 
were clean and satisfactory, and he was re- 
tained under the administrations of Sheriff 
Wencel Hartman and James L. Miles, serv- 
ing altogether for seven years. The Vare 
Brothers, then the leaders of the First and 
Thirty-ninth Wards, recognized Mr. Hogg's 
sagacity and usefulness as an organization 
man, and in 1901 secured for him the appoint- 
ment of real estate assessor, in which capacity 
he continued until 1908. Tax Receiver Hugh 
Black having designed a system of branch tax 
offices to facilitate the collection of taxes and 
to better accommodate the public, Mr. Hogg 
was appointed a Deputy Tax Receiver and 
placed in charge of the branch office at 1804 
.S. Broad Street. He here receives collections 
for the First, Twenty-sixth, Thirty-sixth, and 
Thirty-ninth Wards. Mr. Hogg is the Re- 
publican organization leader of the First 
Ward, and is Chairman of the Ward Execu- 
tive Committee. He is a member of E. Cop- 
pee Mitchell Lodge, No. 105, F. & A. M. ; of 
St. John's Chapter, and of the First Ward and 
the M. S. Quay Republican Clubs. In 1909 
Mr. Hogg was decided upon by the Repub- 
lican organization leaders as a candidate for 
Police Magistrate in order to prevent the re- 
form party from securing the place, they 
claiming that they were entitled to it owing 
to the resignation of Magistrate Robert J. 
Moore. ^Ir. Hogg was defeated by a small 
majority. He has been a delegate to a num- 
ber of State Republican conventions, and in 
his section of the city and elsewhere where he 
is known, he is highly esteemed for his many 
manly qualities. 



"Bull" Andrew's remark upon the Pennsyl- 
vania delegation at the Chicago Convention 
of 1908, was characteristic: ".As usual," he 
said, "Pennsylvania gets only the smell from 
the kitchen." 



Pciiiisxhaiiia and Its Public Men. 



205 



Frederick Rodda 

Sheriff of Luzeme Counly 

Frederick Rodtla is one of the best knuwn 
men in Luzerne County, a man who came out 
of the coal mines to liecome a factor in its 
politics and attaininjj the office of High Shcr- 
iti'. His old affilialinn with the miners and 




his widespread acquaintanncc among them, 
together with his personal popularity, enabled 
him to defeat John Fallon, a member of the 
National Board of the Miners' Union, by a 
large majority for that office. Sheriff Rodda 
is a native of Great Britain, having been born 
in Cornwall, April 3, 1865. He came from a 
family of miners, and in order to better his 
condition he found a new home in Penn- 
sylvania, settling in Dorranceton, Luzerne 
County. He took up the occupation of coal 
mining, which he pursued until 1896. In the 
meantime he became active as a Republican, 
and his party services led to his appointment 
as a clerk in the office of the County Recorder, 
where he continued for three years and add- 
ing to his political strength. He was then 
made deputy sheriff, which, in a turbulent 
county like I.uzerne with its large alien popu- 
lation and frequent labor disturbances, re- 
quires nerve, coolness, and executive ability. 
These are possessed by Sheriff Rodda and 
were then recognized. He had charge of the 
deputy sheriffs during the great strike of 
1900-02. His experience in the mines and his 



knowledge of the miners enabled him to fill 
the position with marked ability. He was 
greatly applauded by reason of his coolness 
and prompt action at the serious riot at the 
mines at Derrington, in 1902, when he took 
forty-five special deputies in a special train 
from W'ilkes-Barre to restore order. Two 
men had been killed and a number injured 
prior to his arrival. Sheriff Rodda immedi- 
ately had interviews with the strikers, and 
through his personality and persuasive powers 
was able to calm the men and obtain a promise 
that they would cease their violence. He 
then returned to W'ilkes-Rarre without call- 
ing a single deputy from the train. Mr. 
Rodda served as a deputy for nine years when 
liis election to the shrievalty occurred. He is 
a metnber of the Odd Fellows, a Past Grand 
of Hillside Lodge of Edwardsville, and Presi- 
dent of Plymouth Aerie, Xo. 546. of F. O. 
liagles. He has been a member of the Bor- 
I lugh Council of Dorranceton, where he re- 
sides : he also has a fine taste for music, and is 
an excellent musician, having been connected 
for twenty years with .Mexander's Band of 
the Xinth Regiment, X. G. P. He is also an 

i':ik. 

And the Joke was on Tom Stewart 

While I was editing the Times of Scranton 
General Hastings and his band of campaign 
jabberwocks visited the city to boost him for 
(iovernor. After a big meeting the political 
aggregation was taken to the Elks Hall where 
an elaborate banquet was enjoyed. .At mid- 
night I was called up on the 'phone and re- 
quested to appear at the function, and 
knowing all hands, it pleased me to respond. 

Being the editor of the Democratic organ 
of the county I naturally came in for a deal 
of political chaffing, which I endeavored to 
bear in good part. Finally, I was called to 
take the floor myself, and retaliated upon at 
least one of my tormentors. General Tom 
Stewart, by thus relating: 

.'\t the second day's fight at Gettysburg Tom 
Stewart was on the firing line, his Springfield 
rifle zipping off a rebel here and a "Butter- 
nut " there, every crack and everj' sing of his 
niinnie ball sending a "Johnny" to his last ac- 
count. His unerring shot and his fatal execu- 
tion had piled the rebel dead in front of him 
like logs in a fallen forest, and still his merry 
engine of war sang its deadly sing-song and 
his victims staggered and fell. While the 
sweat ran in rivulets from his sun-scorched 
face and he was borrowing ammunition from 
the cartridge boxes of his own dead conirafles 
General Hancock dashed up, and perceiving 
Tom at work and the great job of it he hafi 
made, turned to him and commanded, "Tom 
Stewart, go home : you've killed enough. " 

.\nd then the laugh was on Tom Stewart. 



206 



rciuisylvaiiia and Its Public Men. 



.OUIS 



Hutt 



Louis Hutt is of German extraction, his 
family having been settled in Philadelphia 
for seventy years. He was born in New 
Street, Sixth Ward, November 15, 1865. His 
father and brothers were engaged in the milk 
business, and they were noted all over the 




city for their milk and cream, and for a 
period after the Rebellion were the largest 
dealers in the city. Louis Hutt got his prin- 
cipal schooling in the Northern Liberties 
Grammar School under Profession Harrison. 
He then became an office boy in the law cham- 
bers of Sharp & AUman. The latter had been 
a school teacher and took a strong interest in 
the lad, and put him in the way of taking up 
the study of the law, believing him to be ex- 
ceptionally qualified. He supervised his law 
reading and gave him quizzes and fitted him 
to pass a preliminary examination. Mr. Hutt 
then connected himself with the office of 
William G. Foulke. and from which he was 
admitted to the bar in November, 1885, at 
the age of twenty-one. He was subsequently 
admitted to practice in the Superior and .Su- 
preme Courts of the State, the Federal Courts, 
and the Supreme Court of the United States. 
Mr. Hutt became a resident of the Twenty- 
ninth Ward in 1902, and immediately became 
active as a Republican. Henry Shoch, the 
representative in the ward in Select Council 



having been elected City Treasurer in 1904, 
Mr. Hutt received the nomination for his 
unexpired term, and was elected. He was 
nominated for the full term and was opposed 
by Franklin Spencer Edmunds, one of the 
most prominent of the Reform leaders of the 
city, and defeated him by 2700 majority. The 
ward being divided, the Forty-seventh Ward 
being made from it. Mr. Hutt remained in the 
old ward, and in February, 1908, was nomi- 
nated to represent it in Select Council. His 
opponent was Charles F. Fluck, President of 
the Northwestern Business Men's Association, 
and a man extremely active in public affairs. 
It can be stated as an instance of Mr. Hutt's 
popularity and the appreciation of his useful- 
ness in City Councils, that he received more 
majority than his rival had votes. Mr. Hutt 
was one of sixteen members of Select Council 
who stood firm as a rock through the trying 
ordeal of the Republican organization when 
the atmosphere was surcharged with treachery 
and open defiance. Mr. Hutt has succeeded 
in securing notable public improvements for 
his ward. He is Chairman of the Law Com- 
mittee and a member of the powerful Finance 
Committee. He was also a member of the 
Republican City Campaign Committee in 1906, 
when he took political charge of the Twenty- 
ninth Ward, rehabilitating the Republican 
organization and re-attaching it to the party 
column when the reform hurricane had sub- 
sided. He then voluntarily resigned in 
order to bestow more time upon his increas- 
ing law practice. Mr. Hutt pursues a gen- 
eral practice in all the courts and is coun- 
sel for the Athletic Base Ball Club. He is 
an enthusiastic base ball adherent, and is the 
pitcher for the Philadelphia City Councils 
Base Ball Team, which has never suffered a 
defeat. He is devoted to yachting and is the 
owner of a fine yacht which is attached to 
his marine villa at Longport. He is a mem- 
ber of Stephen Girard Lodge, No. 450, F. & 
A, M. ; Columbia Chapter, No. 91 ; St. John's 
Commandery, No. 4, and Lu Lu Temple; also 
of the Twentieth Century and the West End 
Republican Clubs, He has been a delegate 
to Republican State conventions, and in the 
last Republican nominating convention that 
was held in Philadelphia prior to the uniform 
primary election law, he seconded the nomi- 
nation of Judge McMichael. 



Benton and Calhoun were enemies, and 
when the latter died the former was asked 
if he had anything to say. "Nothing at all, 
sir. When the Almighty puts His hands on 
a man. I take mine off." 



I'ciiiisxhviiia and Its Public Men. 



207 



Hon. John J. Coyle 

John J. Coyle, financier, promoter, real 
estate expert, and legislator, comes of Irish 
stock. Mis parents came to America in their 
early childhood, their families settling in 
Schiiylkill Coimty. John J. was born at Mill 
Creek, Xovcmber lo, 1863. His father was 




a niuKT. lie had limited opportunity for 
schooling, as the mine claimed him at a 
youthful age. He determined, however, to 
improve himself, and it can be said he was 
his own schoolmaster. At sixteen he pos- 
sessed the learning and courage to become a 
school teacher, and taught in the district 
school of Mahanoy Township, and afterward 
in Foster Township, Luzerne County. He 
then obtained the position of bookkeeper, 
which knowledge he self-acquired, in the .gen- 
eral store of J. P. McDonald at Freeland. 
Inspired with the ambition to paddle his own 
canoe, Mr. Coyle resigned, and, returning to 
his old hoine at Mahanoy City, established a 
real estate and fire insurance business, which 
prospered from the start. In the meantime 
he had become active as a Republican, and 
in 1889 he received the appointment of Jus- 
tice of the Peace from Governor Beaver, fill- 
a vacancy. He was elected for a full term of 
five years. In l8go he was nominated as a 
candidate for delegate to the proposed Consti- 
tutional Convention. 

Mr. Coyle began his legislative career in 



1892, being elected lo the House from the 
first district of Schuylkill. He served at the 
session of 1893, and then resigned. His in- 
fluence in the Republican politics of the county 
had widened, and in 1894 he was elected to 
the State Senate from the thirtieth district, 
defeating the Hon. Charles F. King, who was 
regarded as the strongest Democrat in Schuyl- 
kill. He was then thirty-one years old. Sen- 
ator Coyle was regarded as the special cham- 
pion of the miners of the anthracite regions, 
and worked energetically and successfully in 
:heir interest. He is the father of the bill 
which created the State Department of 
Mines, and bringing all the independent in- 
spectors under one authority. He was also 
.luthor of the existing law relating to the ex- 
.unination of miners. The Coyle .'Xct was 
stubbornly fought by the operators, the Su- 
preme Court affirming its constitutionality. 
In 1897 he resigned as a State Senator, and, 
disposing of his life insurance business, re- 
moved to Philadelphia. In 1899 Senator 
Coyle was connected with the State Banking 
Department, but resigned and entered into 
the real estate business at Twelfth and Chest- 
nut Streets, .'\spiring to greater enterprises, 
he sold his business at an a<lvantage and 
founded the .American Catholic Union, a fra- 
ternal insurance society, paying death bene- 
fits, and which has been highly successful. 
Tie is its national president. President Mc- 
Kinley offered him a consulship in 1890. 
which he declined, but in 1902 he was ap- 
pointed special agent of the United States 
Government in charge of the salmon fisheries 
of Alaska. In 1903 Senator Coyle was elected 
a member of the Republican National Com- 
mittee from Alaska, and served from 1904 
until 1908. It was his proxy that Gen. Frank 
Hitchcock used when applying the "steam 
roller" in favor of Taft at the Chicago Con- 
vention. Senator Coyle also was the delegate 
from Alaska in the National Republican Con- 
vention at Chicago in 1904. In 1906 he pur- 
chased the charter of the Penn Mutual Life 
Insurance Company, and was its President 
for two years, and is now Chairman of its 
I'^xecutive Committee. He is also President 
of the Keystone Mining Company. Chairman 
of the Executive Committee of the New Jer- 
sey Rapid Transit Company, and of the Elec- 
tric Light and Power Company of Sea Isle 
City. He is a member of many fraternal and 
social associations, and political clubs. 



The Hon. Roscoe Conkling"s description of 
a witness in a court trial : "Methinks I can 
see him now. his face a monument of lies and 
his mouth a sepulchre of rum." 



208 



Pcniisxhc'onia and Its Public Men. 



Samuel J. Kistler 

Lehigh 

Samuel J. Kistler is one of the conspicuous 
lights of the Lehigh bar which is noted for 
its strength and brilliancy. His father, 
Samuel J., Sen., was one of the leading citi- 
zens of the countv, having been for manv 




years identified with public affairs and repre- 
sented it in the Legislature and sat upon the 
county bench as an Associate Judge. 

Mr. Kistler was born at Saegersville, Lehigh 
County, July 26, 1865 and after going through 
the public schools was prepared for Muhlen- 
berg College from which institution he was 
graduated in June, 1886. His inclination led 
him to the law and he became a student under 
the Hon. C. J. Erdman, of Allentown, who 
served two terms in the National House of 
Representatives. He was admitted to full prac- 
tice on July t, 1889. Mr. Kistler had a uni- 
versal acquaintanceship throughout the city 
and county and his success in his chosen field 
was almost immediate. He enjoys a large and 
lucrative practice especially in the Orphan's 
and Common Pleas Courts. 

Upon the attainment of his voting age, he 
actively identified himself with the Republican 
Party and has been a factor in its councils and 
its leader in the upper end of the county for 
some tvventv vears. He succeeded his father 



as Justice of the Peace of Heidelberg Town- 
ship in 1890, and served for six years, when 
he declined a re-election in order to devote 
his entire time to his growing law practice 
and the pursuit of private business affairs. In 
1902 the party leaders were thrown upon their 
beam ends by an unexpected vacancy occur- 
ring on the ticket, that for State Senator. In 
casting around for a strong man to meet the 
emergency, Mr. Kistler was the unanimous 
choice and he consented to accept the nomina- 
tion. He was ill at the time and handicapped 
by inability to undertake a personal canvass 
and campaign, but. nevertheless, he made a 
remarkable run against a large natural Demo- 
cratic majority. So w-ell was he known and 
so highly regarded that his opponent only won 
by a narrow margin. He is a man of strong 
personality and a fluent and engaging speaker. 
For a number of years he has been a director 
of the Allentown National Bank, the oldest and 
strongest financial institution in the metrop- 
olis of the Lehigh Valley, and is one of its 
attorneys. He is a 32d degree Mason, mem- 
ber of the Consistory, Knights Templar, and 
Lu Lu Temple, and the Mystic Shrine. 

He is also a member of the I. O. O. F. and 
the Patriotic Order Sons of America. He is 
also an active spirit of the Livingston Club of 
Allentown. 



Tom Cooper's Kicking Gun 

An amusing incident of the Pattison-Beaver 
campaign of 1882 was a circular which was 
gotten up and circulated by Tom Cooper, who 
was the Republican State Chairman. This 
turned out to be for the sorrel-topped sage of 
Media a gun that kicked. 

This campaign circular read: 

"Beaver is a native of Pennsylvania, while 
Pattison is a native of Maryland. While it is 
no disgrace in itself to have been born in 
Maryland, it is natural that Pennsylvania 
should prefer to be governed by a native of 
Pennsylvania. He alone can understand. He 
alone can understand the people of the State, 
their peculiarities, local idiosyncracies, their 
special wants and desires. One can safely, as 
well as with good reason, appeal to the native 
pride of Pennsylvania to stand by a son of the 
soil instead of playing into the hand of a 
stranger and an adventurer." 

This miserable attempt on the part of 
Cooper to thus raise a sectional issue on Patti- 
son quickly recoiled, and Started the laugh on 
himself, when it was shown that he, too, was 
"a stranger and an adventurer." he having 
been born in Jefferson Countv, Ohio. 



[\'!iiis\i:'ciiiiii anil Its Public Men. 



209 



John J. McKinley, Jr. 

Contractor 

John J. McKiiilcy. Jr.. better known in the 
politics of the Thiny-tliird Ward, Philadel- 
phia, in which he is the Republican leader as 
"Old Square Timber," is one of those men 
who are capable of attracting a large personal 




following, and whose word, both in politics 
and in business is his bond. His father and 
mother came from the Xorth of Ireland, and 
are devoted Presbyterians. To better their 
fortunes they came to America in one of the 
old packet ships of the period, settling in 
Philadelphia. The father entered the whole- 
sale milk business at Third and Dauphin 
Streets. Nineteenth Ward, and in which he 
was very successful. John J. McKinley, Jr., 
was born in Philadelphia December 12, 1863. 
After his public school education he joined 
his father in the milk business. When his 
father retired the son embarked in the busi- 
ness of a general contractor, doing excavat- 
ing, work, and curb-setting, street paving and 
sewer building for the city of Philadelphia. 
He is still so occupied and has built up a large 
and flourishing business. He moved into the 
Twenty-fifth Ward, and when the Thirty- 
third was split from it began to take an active 
hand in politics as a Republican. It can be 
said of hiin that he has always worked for 
some one else's benefit in a political wa)-, be- 
ll 



ing entirely unselfish and devoted to his 
friends. He was persuaded, through the ex- 
isting jjolitical conditions of the Ward, to 
become a candidate for the nomination for 
Select Council in igo6, and at the first pri- 
mary that was conducted under the open pri- 
mary system, although there were many can- 
didates, he was nominated by 900 majority. 
He is a member of the important Committee 
of Highways of Select Council. Mr. McKin- 
ley is a Mason of high degree, being a mem- 
ber of Blue Lodge, No. 9, the Chapter, Coni- 
mandery, and of Lu Lu Temple. He is a 
member also of the Order of Elks and the 
Thirty-third Ward Club. He is a man of 
charming social qualities and is noted for his 
benevolence throughout the Thirty-third 
Ward. 



Hon. William E. Crow 

Fayette 

WilliaiTi E. Crow is one of the youngest 
men now- sitting in the State Senate of Penn- 
sylvania, but is destined to acquire a com- 
manding influence in that body through his 
natural ability and force of character. He is 
serving his first term, having been elected in 
1906, and it is believed that he has a large 
and successful career before him there. He 
is a native of Fayette County, having been 
born in German Township, March 10, 1870. 
He received his primary education in the pub- 
lic schools, and then entered the Southwestern 
State Normal School, and graduate<l there- 
froiTi in 1890. He then had an experience in 
the journalistic profession, and of which there 
is no better school in the world, and was iden- 
tified with a local newsjjaper for three years 
and at the same time he enrolled himself as a 
student of the law. his natural abilities and 
inclination leading him in that direction. 

Senator Crow was admitted to the bar of 
Fayette County in 1895. and so rapid was his 
rise and so highly were his legal acquirements 
esteemed that a year thereafter he was ap- 
pointed to the position of .Assistant District 
-Xttorney. So well did he fill the position that 
two years later, 1898. he was elected to the 
office of District .Attorney as a Republican, 
although Fayette is an old natural Democratic 
county. Senator Crow became a force in the 
Republican politics of the county, anti in 1899. 
1900, and 1901 was the Chairman of the 
County Executive Committee. He has served 
as a delegate to various Republican State con- 
ventions, and he possesses to a marked degree 
the confidence of the Republican State leaders. 

He is a member of several secret orders and 
social clubs, and is one of the leaders of the 
Favette County bar. 



210 



PciiiisYlvania ami /is Public Men. 



J. Edward Wanner 

Reading 

J. Edward Wanner is one of the best known 
and popular of the younger men in the finan- 
cial, political, and social circles of the city 



Paul Houck 



She 



ndoah 




of Reading. If his inclination ran in the 
direction of lucrative public office, his friends 
declare that he could have anything he de- 
sired in the gift of the city. But while not 
aspiring to public honors he is. nevertheless, 
extremely active in the interest of the Demo- 
cratic partv, and is the President of the Amer- 
icans' Club, which is the leading Democratic 
organization of Berks County. He vv'as born 
in Reading, July ii, 1864, his father being 
Amos B., and his mother Clementine C. On 
both sides he conies from old and honored 
family stock of Berks. His education was 
acquired in the public schools of Reading. 
He began his active career by being appointed 
to a position in the National Union Bank of 
Reading, and at the present time is filling the 
position of Assistant Cashier. Mr. Wanner 
has for some years been interested in the 
cause of public education, and now occupies 
the Presidency of the District School Board. 
He is President of the Reading Paper Box 
Company, which is one of the largest manu- 
facturing enterprises in that city, the plant 
covering three city blocks and giving employ- 
ment to a thousand operators. 



Paul Houck is one of the active and rising 
young Republicans of Schuylkill County who 
will soon succeed the old race of politicians 
who have had control there for many years. 
He proved his popularity in- 1908 when, as a 
candidate for the Legislature, he received no 
assistance from the organization and the 
liquor money was used in the interest of an 
opposing candidate. He is the son of Henry 
Houck, now Secretary of Internal Affairs, 
and one of the best known men in Pennsyl- 
vania in connection with the affairs of schools. 
He was born May 5. 1866. in the borough of 
Lebanon, in the public schools of which and 
under his father's instruction, himself an edu- 
cator of renown, he received his education. 
Taking a course in pharmacy Mr. Houck, in 
iSgo, embarked in the drug Isusiness, opening 
a store in the borough of Shenandoah, and 
which he still successfully conducts. From 
his manhood Mr. Houck has taken an interest 
in political affairs. He was Chief Clerk to the 
Board of County Commissioners of Schuyl- 




kill, and has been chosen a delegate to a num- 
ber of Republican State conventions. In 1906 
he was a member of the committee to notify 
Edwin S. Stuart of his nomination. Mr. Houck 
is a member of the Harrisburg Club, of the 
Benevolent ond Protective Order of Elks, and 
Knights of the Golden Eagle. 



Pcinisxlz'aiiid and Its Public Men. 



211 



Gen. Wendell Phillips Bowman 

(jen. Wcnilell I'liillips Uowman is a de- 
scoiulant of a family well known in history, 
both in England and in the United States, for 
energy and ability in the activities of human 
affairs, in behalf of civil and religious lib- 




erty, and for the uplifting of the human race. 

He was born in Philadelphia, where the 
Bowmans have had the honor of residing con- 
temporaneously with William Penn, and con- 
tinuously since 169S, and the general's county 
residence, "Elm Hall,"' Merion, has been a 
portion of the Bowman estate in a continuous 
line of family title from the colonial days 
down to the present time — a rare record in 
the history of realty in this country. 

When Lee invaded Pennsylvania General 
Bowman was a lad of fifteen, and enlisted 
in the Forty-fourth Regiment. -Vfter the 
Gettysburg emergency he joined the One Hun- 
dredth and Xinety-seventh Regiment, Penn- 
sylvania X'olunteers, which operated under 
General Sheridan in the upper Potomac. He 
was subse(|uently transferred west of the 
Mississippi, where he w-as honorably dis- 
charged through illness brought on by ex- 
posure. He was an invalid, and compelled 
to walk with crutches by reason of it until 
1874. Returning to Philadelphia, he studied 
law in the offices of George H. Earle and 
Richard P. White, and was admitted to prac- 
tice about 1878. 



During the labor riots at Pittsburg, in 1877, 
General Bowman's military experience was 
recognized by the State authorities, and in 
thirty hours he recruited in Philadelphia and 
organized the Twentieth X'olunteer Regiment, 
and dispatched it to the scene of the troubles. 
He was then transferred to Scranton, where 
labor riots were threatened. He was detailed 
as adjutant, and sent to Philadelphia to enlist 
one hundred picked men for the Twentieth 
Regiment, and within forty-eight hours re- 
ported back with the men. armed and equipped 
for service. In 187S he became Captain of 
Company H, First Regiment, State .Xational 
Guard, and in 1887 was made its colonel. He 
|)articipated with his regiment in the suppres- 
sion of labor troubles in the coal regions, and 
also saw service in the Spanish-.\merican war. 

In i()07 Colonel Bowman was promoted to 
the rank of Brigadier-General of the First 
Brigade, the flower of the State Xational 
Guard. He is a typical soldier, born to com- 
mand, and a successful lawyer in active prac- 
tice. General Bowman is connected with 
many social organizations, and is regarded as 
one of the first citizens of Philadelphia. 



A Contemplated Coup that Scared Quay 

In the famous Legislature of 1901, which 
unlocked the deadlock on the re-election of 
M. S. Quay as L^nited States .Senator, a 
scheme of the anti-Quay managers to swing 
the Independent Republicans and Democrats 
to the Hon. Henry C. McCormick, of Lycom- 
ing, was discovered in the nick of time to 
prevent its consunnnation. The coiifi dc 
theatre had been engineered by Senator I. 
Henry Cochran, of Williamsport, on the part 
of the Democrats, he being the friend and 
business partner of Governor Hasting's bril- 
liant .Attorney General, Mr. McCormick. Its 
failure, however, can be largely attributed to 
ex-Senator John J. Coyle, now of Philadel- 
phia, who succeeded in organizing and "tak- 
ing into camp" twenty Democrats. Of course, 
Senator Quay was fully acquainted with the 
discovery of this consi)iracy, and it added to 
his already overburdened store of troubles. 
Senator Coyle, after he had his twenty Demo- 
crats in hand, served notice upon the Wana- 
maker managers that if the coup was at- 
tempted and any Democrat voted for McCor- 
mick, or any other Republican except Quay, 
that twenty Democrats would thereupon vote 
for Quay. It would have made an interest- 
ing situation had the coup been attempted, 
since it is believed that had the Democrats 
begun to cast their votes for Quay that the 
Magee followers of .Mlegheny would have de- 
serted him, and Quay himself was fearful of 
this. 



212 



Pciiiisxk'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



Frederick Wolf 

Assistant Highway Commissioner 

Frederick Wolf, one of the active Repub- 
lican leaders of the Thirty-third Ward, Phil- 
adelphia, is the son of a veteran of the War 




of the Rebellion, who left his trade as a mo- 
rocco dresser to en'.ist, and who, after serv- 
ing' gallant!)' throughout that great conflict, 
died at the Soldiers' Home at Hampton, Va., 
Aueu?t 22, 1877. as the result of injuries re- 
ceived in battle. His name was Frederick, 
and that of his wife, Caroline. Mr, \\'olf 
was born in the Seventeenth Ward, Philadel- 
phia, September i, 1869, and is of German 
stock. The necessities of a soldier's widow 
required that he contribute to the support of 
the family, and at nine years of age he was 
taken from school and entered the employ 
of Joseph Rehufuss, a butcher. He learned 
the trade in a thorough manner and later 
established himself in business as a butcher 
in the old South Second Street Market, where 
he remained until 1900. He became active in 
Republican party affairs in the Thirty-third 
Ward upon attaining his vote, and has been 
a leading member of the Thirty-third Ward 
Executive Committee for nineteen years. As 
a proof of his political popularity it can be 
stated that in the revolution of the year 1905 
Mr. Wolf's election division was the only one 
in the ward that was carried for the Repub- 
lican organization and against the Citv Partv. 



Mr. Wolf is a prominent and active Mason 
of the thirty-third degree, a member of the 
Odd Fellows and of the Tom Reed Repub- 
lican Club. In 1908 he was appointed one 
of the Assistant Highway Commissioners 
under Mayor Reyburn's administration, and 
is in the charge of a district in the northern 
section of the city, with his office at 423 W^ 
Lehigh Avenue. 



Hon. Francis Mcllhenny 

Philadelphia 

Francis Mcllhenny, member of the State 
Senate of Pennsylvania from the Si.xth Dis- 
trict, comes from an old Southern family which 
was largely impoverished by the Rebellion. 
1 le was born at Columbus, Georgia, October 2, 
1873, His parents took up their residence in 
Philadelphia in 1876, and in that city he re- 
ceived his education, being prepared for college 
in private schools. He then entered the Uni- 
versity of Pennsylvania and graduated from 
the College Department with honors and the 
degree of A,B, in 1895. Having a predilection 




for the law, he remained at the University, 
and in 1898 graduated from the Law Depart- 
ment cum laude. He was admitted to practice 
in the courts of the Commonwealth in that 
year, making civil business and corporation 



Pciinsvli'aitia 



ami Its Public Men. 



213 



law his specialties. Mr. Mcllhcnny met at 
once with remarkable success in his chosen 
profession, locating his offices at looi Chest- 
nut Street. .Aside from his larj;;e practice, he 
has identified himself with fiTiancial institutions 
and business enterprises. He is a director of 
the Pclhani Trust Company, the Und.-rwriters' 
Securities Co., the First Mortgage Guarantee 
and Trust Co., and the das Company of Mont- 
gomery County, .\lthougli a Republican from 
principle. Mr. Mcllhenny is a man of inde- 
pendent thought and action, and is a staunch 
champion of clean and honest government. He 
took a leading part for the City or Reform 
Party in the revolution of 1905. and in 1906 
was induced to accept the nomination for State 
.Senator in the Sixth District, embracing the 
Twenty-first. Twenty-second, Thirty-eighth 
and Forty-second Wards, he also receiving the 
indorsements of the Democratic and the Lin- 
coln parties. He was elected by a majority of 
5024 over Joseph H. Bromley. Republican. 
His course in the two sessions of the Senate, 
of which he has been a memlier. has been 
marked by independent action, and for the best 
interests of the people. .At the election for 
United States Senator in 1909 he cast his vote 
for William Potter as against Boies Penrose. 



George Mechlin Hosack 

Allegheny 

George Mechlin Hosack was born in Day- 
ton. .Armstrong County. Pennsylvania, Octo- 
ber 7, 1866, and is of Scotch-Irish ancestrv ; 
was educated in the public schools and gradu- 
ated from the Connellsville High School in 
1S86. In 1887 entered the literary depart- 
ment of the University of Michigan, and de- 
voted his time to special study of economics 
in the School of History and Political Science : 
entered the Law Department in 1889; gradu- 
ated as Bachelor of Laws in 1S91, and ad- 
mitted to practice in the Circuit and Supreme 
Courts of Michigan. Returning to Favette 
County, Pa., he read law with Hon. S. Les- 
lie ATestrezat, now Justice of the Supreme 
Court of Pennsylvania; in 1892 was admitted 
to the Fayette County bar. .After practicing at 
Uniontown for one year he removed to Pitts- 
burg, where he was admitted to the .Allegheny 
County bar. to the Supreme Court of Pennsyl- 
vania, and the United States District and Cir- 
cuit Courts. He served two years as .Secre- 
tary of the Fayette County Republican Com- 
mittee: was a member of the House of Rep- 
resentatives, sessions 1897. 1899, and 1901. 
During his time in the Legislature he was a 
member of the Committee on Corporations, 
and served as chairman of the \Vays and 
Means Committee. He is the senior member 
of the law- firm of Geo. ^L &. M. J. Hosack, 



engaged in general practice. lie devotes his 
attention principally to the practice of cor- 
poration law. and has made a special study 
of the subject of corporation ta.\ation. To 
Mr. Hosack may largely be given credit for 
the creation of the Pennsylvania Railroad 
Commission. In his platform, when a candi- 
date for the nomination of Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor on the Republican ticket, was the fol- 
lowing: ".A State railroad commission should 
be established charged with the enforcement 




of all constitutional provisions and legislation 
relating to railroads, and in particular with 
matters relating to discrimination in charges, 
and facilities for transjiortation or furnishing 
cars, with power to institute proceedings in 
proper cases to compel the installation of 
switches or sidings, and generally to possess 
the powers of the Interstate Conunerce Com- 
mission in matters relating to intrastate rail- 
road affairs.'" The idea met with such favor 
that the Republican State Convention adopted 
it almost verbatim, and the ne.xt Legislature 
enacted the idea into law. Prior to his taking 
the matter up there had been no public agita- 
tion on the subject. Member of the Univer- 
sity, Duquesne, Pittsburg .Athletic, and Har- 
risburg Clubs. Is a Mason, being a member 
of the Crescent Lodge. Xo. -.jG. F. & .A. M. : 
Tancred Conmiandery, Xo. 48: Knights Tem- 
plar, and of the Mystic Shrine. In 1893 mar- 
rie<l Delia C. Clark, daughter of Mr. and 
Mrs. W. P. Clark, of Connellsville: they have 
three chiltlren. .Address, Pittsburg, Pa. 



214 



f\vnis\'k'a!iia and Its Public Men. 



Hon. William McAleer 

William McAleer was a sturdy figure in the 
Democratic politics of Philadelphia, and has 
held offices of great responsibility. He will 
be best-known, however, as a Congressman 
from the old Third District. He was one of 




the most useful members the city ever sent to 
Washington, and as a member of the Commit- 
tee on Naval Affairs he contributed much to 
the development of League Island as a first- 
class naval establishment. Indeed, it was said 
of him that after his retirement from Congres- 
sional life he had more influence and power in 
Washington than the man who succeeded him 
or nearly all the Philadelphia memljers put to- 
gether. William McAleer was born in County 
Tyrone, Ireland, January 6, 1876. His father. 
John, first came to Philadelphia in 1816, and 
after remaining here for some years, he re- 
turned to Ireland where he married. In 185 1 
he brought his wife and eight children to Phil- 
adelphia. He establish'd the milling, flour 
and feed business of John McAleer & Sons at 
Second and Bainbridge Streets, and then on 
Rainbridge above Second, where the business 
still flourishes. He died at the age of ninety- 
one. W'illiam McAleer spent fifty years of his 
life as a resident of the Fourth and Fifth 
Wards, where he was a political power. He 
early identified himself with the Democratic 
party, and in 1885 was elected to represent it 
in Common Council from the Fourth Ward 



.After serving one term he was elected by City 
Council as a member of the Board of Guar- 
dians of the Poor, in which body he served for 
several years. He subsequently removed to 
the Fifth Ward, and 18S6 was elected to the 
State Senate from the Second District. Mr. 
McAleer was extremely active as a State 
Senator, and particularly in the interest of 
Philadelphia's connnercial affairs. Upon the 
death of the Hon. Samuel J. Randall, the Hon. 
Richard \'aux was elected for his unexpired 
term in the Fifty-first Congress and for the 
Fifty-second Congress. Mr. McAleer defeated 
him. Mr. McAleer had a career of eight years 
in Congress. Some of his campaigns were bit- 
ter and exciting struggles. In 1896 he ran as 
a Gold Democrat, defeating Frederick Hal- 
dernian. Republican, and Samuel E. Hudson, 
Rryan-Silver candidate. In 189S Mayor Ash- 
bridge and the Republican lea<iers determined 
to go the limit to defeat Mr. McAleer, having 
contracted to give the seat to Henry Burk, a 
wealth V leather manufacturer. It can be 
stated that Mr. McAleer's defeat was encom- 
passed by the police, there being rioting at the 
polls, intimidation of voters and the grossest 
frauds, and of which Mr. Burk was wholly 
iimocent. Mr. McAleer was President of the 
Commercial Exchange, and as such introduced 
(Seneral Grant and President Haves. He is an 
active member of the Friendly Sons of St. 
Patrick, and was President of the United 
P>enevolent Society, organized to look after the 
immigrants of all nationalities arriving at 
Philadelphia. 



Cornelius Haggarty, Jr. 

Cornelius Haggarty, Jr., is one of the most 
popular of the junior lawyers at the Phila- 
delphia bar. He comes from an old Philadel- 
phia family identified with the central city, 
and was born December 22, 1874, in the 
Fifth Ward. He was the recipient of excel- 
lent educational advantages, and after going 
through the elementary public schools took 
a course at the Central High School, and sub- 
sequently graduated from St. Mary's College 
at Emmetsburg, Maryland. Selecting the law 
for a profession, he became a pupil of F. 
Carroll Brewster, and on February 23, 1896, 
was admitted to practice in the courts of 
Philadelphia County, and subsequently in the 
Superior and Supreme Courts of the State. 
Mr. Haggarty, following his family's political 
affiliations, early identified himself with the 
Democratic party. In 1903 he was the candi- 
date for District Attorney, and polled a flat- 
tering vote in a strong Republican city. 

Mr. Haggarty is noted for his charm as an 
after dinner speaker, and is connected with a 
number of social clubs and organizations. 



/'ciinsylzwiia and Its Public Moi. 



215 



John A. Thornton 

John A. Thoriitoii lias 1)lcii a cunspicuous 
Democrat in I'liilailclphia for a luimher of 
years, and has a reputation for square deal- 
ing in politics which has stood him in good 
stead. He has enjoyed intimate political re- 




lations with William J. Bryan, and was in 
close touch with him in his ill-starred cam- 
paigns. Mr. Thornton's father came from 
Ireland when nine years old. and settled in 
Philadelphia. His mother was American 
born. The father established a contracting 
and plastering business, which he pursued 
for fifty-two years and which is now con- 
tinued by his son. Joseph. Mr. Thornton was 
born at 3687 Sansom Street, Philadelphia. 
November 25. 1862. At three years of age 
he was taken by his grandparents, who had 
a farm in Cecil County. Maryland, and with 
whom he remained until he was ten years old, 
when he returned to his parents, attending 
the old public school at Thirty-sixth and 
Chestnut Streets. His school days over, Mr. 
Thornton learned the meat and provision 
business, and finally established himself in 
that line in the Twenty-fourth Ward market 
house. He began to take an active interest 
in political affairs upon attaining bis ma- 
jority, and in 1899 he held a position in the 
party that conunandecl for him the nomina- 
tion of police magistrate. He served a term 
of five vears. Mr. Thornton has been the 



Democratic leader of the Twenty-fourth 
\\ ard for a number of years. He served as 
a member of the Democratic City Executive 
Committee for twelve years, and on the State 
Central Committee for seven. In 1907 be 
was elected Chairman of the City Committee 
and conducted a vigorous campaign. Upon 
bis retirement from the jiolice magistracy, 
.Mr. Thornton resumed the provision business. 
In 1909 he was appointed a real estate as- 
sessor. He is the only man who ever served 
for three consecutive terms in the Democratic 
City Committee from the Twenty-fourth 
Ward. He has been a delegate to every State 
convention for the last twelve years, and in 
the National campaign of 1908 he was con- 
spicuously prominent in the Bryan State 
League, and assisted in the election of dele- 
gates pledged to his nomination and in op- 
position to Colonel Guffey. Mr. Thornton is 
also engaged in real estate enterprises. He 
is a member of the West Side Democratic 
Association and the Democratic Club of Penn- 
■^vlvania. 



Hov^' the Troops Got to Susquehanna Depot 

Back in ihc "seventies" I hajjpcned to be 
in Wilkes- Barre where coal labor troubles 
were threatening, and was accompanied by 
a I'hiladelpbia newspaper man named William 
b-ngard. The news came in that the ma- 
chinists at the Erie Railroad shops at Sus- 
i|ueliamia Depot had gone on a strike, and 
that the traffic of the road, which was then 
in the hands of Jim Fisk, had been tied up. 

General Osborne was the commantler of the 
brigade of the National Guard in that section, 
and the Erie officials were importuning him. as 
well as the Governor, to send troops to open 
the road. We saw the general and told him 
that we were going to the seat of trouble. He 
said to us that inmicdiately upon our arrival 
we should wire him the exact situation, as he 
preferred to have disinterested testimony than 
to rely wholly upon the representations of 
the railroad people, who were New Yorkers, 
anyhow, and wanted the strike put down at 
the expense of the State of Pennsylvania. 

We started on our journey and, reaching 
Scranton, succeeded in getting aboard a train 
on a branch road running to Susquehanna 
Depot, the train consisting of a locomotive 
and a box car. 

When we arrived at the railroad town we 
found miles of stalled trains, the strikers in 
complete control of the road at that point, 
and the officials utterly powerless. Passenger 
trains were stopped and the coaches un- 
coupled and detained, and only the mail cars 
and the locomotive allowed to proceed to New 
^'ork. or to the West. 



216 



Pcnitsvlvaiiia and Its J'liblic Men. 



A little investigation impressed us that the 
troops really were necessary, and we wired 
General Osborne word to that effect. The 
next morning when I awoke and looked out 
of the window of the hotel situated on a 
height and overlooking the big machine shops 
and the depot, I was surprised to see them 
in the possession of soldiers, the militiamen 
having come in noiselessly over night. 

I was sending wire stories to the Philadel- 
phia Inquirer, several New York papers, the 
Cincinnati Enquirer, and the Chicago Times. 
Notwithstanding the presence of the troops 
and their efforts to keep the road open, the 
strikers for several days continued to be suc- 
cessful. They would halt trains outside the 
town and, taking possession of the engines, 
would bring them in and "kill" the locomo- 
tives by removing certain portions of the ma- 
chinery. As each captured train would come 
in the whistles of the shops would blow, and 
there would be great rejoicing by the strikers. 
In the meantime Mr. Wright, the Master of 
Transportation of the Erie, insisted that we 
should come to the company's hotel at the 
depot as its guests, which we did. 

When the strike was over and we were 
about to depart, Mr. Wright came to me and 
said: "Young man, we are much in your 
debt for your telegram to General Osborne 
and for your reports in the New York papers, 
but you" certainly did give us hell in the 
Chicago and Cincinnati papers." 

"What do you know about Chicago and 
Cincinnati?" I asked. 

"Why, I had the wires tapped at a station 
below here and your reports taken off. I 
had them before they got into the offices of 
the papers. But it is all right. Now, if you 
want to take a trip out west come and see me 
in my office in Jersey City." 

Later on Mr.' Engard and myself concluded 
that we would accept Mr. Wright's offer, and, 
seeing him, he gave us the transportation 
over the Erie and a general letter to the offi- 
cials of railroads generally throughout the 
country, saying that it would be a favor to 
him if the "courtesies" of their roads be ex- 
tended to us. 

We then started on a delightful trip which 
took us to all the cities of the West, and had 
no trouble until we reached Salamanica, New 
York, on our return. To our consternation 
we found that an error had been made, and 
that Mr. Wright's transportation East on 
the Erie ceased at that point. We were both 
practically broke, and the situation was not 
inviting. 

It was Sunday evening and the train 
stopped at Salamanica thirty minutes for sup- 
per. 

Engard hit upon a plan. 



"I shall wire Mr. Wright at Jersey City," 
he said, "to wire back a telegraphic pass. If 
he is in his office we are safe, but it happens 
to be night, and a Sunday night at that, which 
makes it uncertain. " 

Those minutes were passed most uncom- 
fortably. We haunted the company's tele- 
graph office, but no reply came until exactly 
three minutes before the train was to start. 

"I'm getting something for you," said the 
operator, who sympathized with us, and he 
did. It was an order for "the conductors of 
train 24 to pass Samuel E. Hudson and Will- 
iam Engard from Salamanica to Jersey City." 
The conductors who looked at the improviseil 
pass showed their surprise, and one of them 
whispered to me "Railroad detectives, eh !" 
and I winked. 

Mr. Wright apologized for the shortsight- 
edness when we met him, and said it was a 
lucky thing for us that he had occasion to visit 
his office that Sunday night, something he had 
not done before in months. 



Hon. Sterling R. Catlin 

Sterling R. Catlin, representing Luzerne 
County in part in the Senate of Pennsylvania, 
is one of the substantial citizens of Wilkes- 
Barre, as he is one of the leading members 
of the Senate. He was born on a farm situ- 
ated on the outskirts of Wilkes-Barre, and 
vv'hich he inherited. The growth of the city 
made it available for building lots, and these 
materially assisted in laying the basis for the 
Senator's large fortune. He was born in 
1842, and attended the public and private 
schools, and subsequently took a complete 
course at the Polytechnic College of Phila- 
delphia. He learned the trade of a machinist 
and followed it as an occupation for twelve 
years. During the Civil War he served in 
the Thirtieth Pennsylvania ^'olunteers, and 
when his term of enlistment expired, in 1864, 
he determined to seek his fortune in the far 
West, and crossed the plains overland. He 
was one of the first settlers of the city of 
Helena, Montana. Later on he went to Cali- 
fornia, and for five years was Superintendent 
of Machinery at the Mare Island Navy Yard. 
He returned to Pennsylvania in the "eighties" 
and took up his residence in Wilkes-Barre. 
He then became active in politics as a Re- 
publican, and was elected to the City Council 
of Wilkes-Barre, and in which body he sat 
for nine years. In 1904 he was induced by 
the Republican State leaders to become a can- 
didate for State Senator, as it was believed 
his popularity throughout the county would 
make his election a certainty and which be- 
lief was exemplified. In 1908 he was renomi- 



/'cinisvh'ailia and Its I'uhlic Men. 



217 



natecl and elected by a large majority. Sena- 
tor Catlin has large and diversified business 
interests, and is connected with local financial 
institutions. He is noted for his unostenta- 
tious benevolence, and numbers his friends 
by the legion. 



John Barbey 

Rf.Tfling 




John Barbey is one of the best known of 
the progressive business men of the city of 
Reading, and as a brewer his product has 
an enviable reputation throughout the Schuyl- 
kill N'alley. He is a native of Philadelphia, 
having been born in that city in October, 
1850. and comes of German stock. 

His father, Peter, moved to Reading when 
John was a lad, and established there a brew- 
ery, being one of the pioneers in that industry 
in that section. Mr. Barbey obtained his 
schooling in the public schools of Reading, 
and then joined his father in the brewery 
business, and eventually succeeded hiiii in it. 
He has largely increased the capacity of the 
plant, which is now considered one of the 
models of its kind in the interior of Penn- 
sylvania. Mr. Barbey is highly esteemed for 
his social f|ualities and his public spiritedness. 
He is a thirty-second degree Mason, being 
Past Hieh Priest of Excelsior Chapter and 
Past Eminent Commander of the Reading 
Commanderv. 



Robert T. McEIroy 

Pittjburg 

Robert T. McElroy is regarded as one of the 
coming men of atTairs of the County of 
-Mlegheny, and a brilliant future is predicted 
for him both at the bar and in politics. Aside 
from the practice of his profession he is 
actively engaged in po'itics as a member of the 
Republican party with which he has been 
identified since attaining his majoritv. Mr. 
McEIroy is a native of the Smoky Citv, hav- 
ing been born in the old Sixth Ward, May 
17, 1871. His parents were Edward E. Mc- 
I'lroy and Katherine E. McGrew, who were 
able to equip him with a liberal education, 
and after passing through the graded public 
■■chools of Pittsburg he was |)repared for a 
Collegiate Course in the High School of 
.Madison, Indiana. He then entered Hanover 
College graduating with honors in 1892. Be- 
ing destined for the legal profession, he was 
tutored under one of the leading attorncvs of 
Allegheny County and admitted to practice 




in 1894. His success in his chosen field was 
immediate, and he had not been at the bar 
more than two years when in 1896 he was 
selected as special council for the City of 
Pittsburg for the preparation of the present 
City Digest. His appf)intment as first .\^- 
sistant l^istrict .Xttorney of the County of 
Allegheny followed and which post he still 



218 



Fciuis\h'ania and Its Public Men. 



occupies. Mr. McElroy is one of the coming 
leaders of the criminal bar of that county 
which is foretold by his brilliant work in the 
office of the Public Prosecutor. He was of 
invaluable .assistance to his chief, District 
Attorney, William A. Blakeley in the trials in 
1909 of the Councilmanic boodlers of Pitts- 
burg, and of prominent business men on 
charges of corrupting Councilmen in connec- 
tion with franchises and City deposits- in 
banks. He is a forcible and convincing 
pleader and is feared by the criminal commun- 
ity. Mr. Elroy in 1908 was president of the 
famous Americus Club of Pittsburg, the lead- 
ing Republican Organization of Western 
Pennsylvania, is a member of the Republican 
Tariff' Club, the University Club, the Fort 
Pitt Club, the Athletic Club, and is an active 
spirit in lodge No. 339, Benevolent and Pro- 
tective Order of Elks. 



George Davis's Retail Liquor 
Emporium 

All seasons are alike to those who cater 
to the natural thirst and the palate of man- 
kind, but all men are not capable of supply- 
ing their wants and requirements as a con- 
noisseur, and referring to those who are ex- 
perts in this line, special reference must be 
due to Mr. George Davis, who conducts one 
of the most successful retail liquor emporiums 
in the city of Philadelphia, it being located at 
Eighth and Race Streets. 

This famous hostelry has the reputation. 
we were about to say from Maine to Cali- 
fornia, but we will multiply the statement by 
saying that it is as well known among those 
who seek refreshment and social intercourse 
as is Monte Carlo among the gambling fra- 
ternity. 

This establishment is fitted up in the latest 
modern style, having an ample frontage and 
depth for the proper accommodation of its 
numerous patrons. "Mine host," Mr. George 
Davis, has had an extended experience in 
catering to the saloon traffic, and it may be 
safely said of him. much to his credit, that 
the parlors that he so ably conducts are fre- 
quented by men in all walks of life, and that 
it is well worthy of a visit to those who have 
not heretofore entered the establishment. 
Aside from its favorable location for business, 
much of its success is to be attributed to the 
personality of the proprietor. He is one of 
those men who go through life making friends 
every day. and who thoroughly believes in 
elevating the liquor trade, which he has ac- 
complished, in so far as he is individually 
concerned. 



Hon. James Taylor DuBois 

Ex-Consul-General to Switzerland 

James Taylor DuBois, a native of Susque- 
hanna County and now a resident of Wilkes- 
Barre, is a man who has had an influential 
career in the public affairs of the nation. He 
has been an editor of national renown, and 




has a place in the world of letters, and in the 
customs as well as in the consular service 
of his country has rendered most valuable and 
important service. Born at Hallstead, April 
17, 1851, his father, Joseph, was one of the 
most public-spirited citizens of that section. 
After graduating from the Ithaca Academy, 
Mr. DuBois in order to prepare himself for a 
journalistic career took a course at Cornell 
University. When but twenty-one years old 
he assumed the editorship of the old National 
Republican of Washington, which had been 
for many years the semi-oflicial organ of the 
Republican National Administrations and in 
which position he enjoyed the full confidence 
of the Republican leaders of the country. In 
1877 President Hayes sent him as Commercial 
Agent to Ai.x-la-Chapelle, Germany, and in 
1881 he was promoted to full consul. Presi- 
dent Arthur in 18S2 tendered him the more 
important Consulate at Callio, which he de- 
clined, and was then given the Consulate at 
Lcipsic, Germany, which he resigned upon the 



Pcinisxh'iDiia and Its I'liblic Men. 



219 



iiiduction of President Cleveland, although 
the latter and Secretary of State Bayard urged 
him to remain in the service. His loyalty 
and devotion to his party, however, forbade, 
when the Republicans were restored to power 
President McKinley in 1897 nanied him as 
Consul General to Switzerland, with head- 
quarters at St. Gall, the great lace and cm- 
broidery centre. Discovering that the United 
States was being mulcted to the extcTit of 
millions through a system of invoice under- 
valuations, with the aid of the Appraiser of 
Xcw York and the Board of General .\p- 
praisers, he exposed the frauds and inaugurat- 
ed a new sy.stcm which it is estimated has 
saved the United States a million dollars or 
more per annum, and which is still in vogue. 
Upon his retirement Gen. DuBois gave a din- 
ner to the .American diplomatic and consular 
officers in Switzerland at which he was pre- 
sented with a memorial extolling him for the 
consummate skill, the courage and patience 
exercised by him in breaking up the under- 
valuers of St. Gall. Secretary Gage of the 
Treasury in a letter June i, 1899, to Secretary 
of State John Hay also highly complimented 
him. 

Upon Mr. DuBois's retirement from the 
consular service in 1901 President McKinley, 
at the request of Secretary John Hay, ap- 
pointed him "Editor of the Laws," which 
place he occupied until the spring of igog 
when he was appointed V. S. Consul General 
to Singapore. He has been \ice-Prcsident 
of the Sons of the .American Revolution, 
is director in a number of successful enter- 
prises, and is author of "An Hour with 
Charlemagne," "The Centennial of Susque- 
hanna County," "In and about .Aix-la- 
Chapelle," "Fun and Pathos of One Life," and 
is now editing "Ex-Speaker Galusha A. 
Grow's "Half Century of Congress," which 
will contain the only complete history of the 
great Grow-'s Homestead Law that has ever 
been published as well as the only authentic 
biography of Mr. Grow. Mr. DuBois was 
married to Emma, daughter of Henry Pastor 
in 1883, now has two sons, Henry and .Arthur, 
both of whom are graduates of Cornell Uni- 
versity and post-graduates of Yale and Prince- 
ton. On the banks of the Susquehanna River 
he has a beautiful country home located on 
Mount Manotunome, around which he has 
constructed five miles of fine roadway, and 
from which a view of some of the most pic- 
turesque scenery in the East can be obtained. 
This roadway has been dedicated to the public, 
and a fund has been established by ^Ir. DuBois 
to keep it in perpetual repair for the use of the 
people. 



John Mecleary 

Police Magislrale 

John Mecleary, the Republican leader of the 
31st Ward, Philadelphia, comes of Scotch- 
Irish stock, said to be the best blood in the 
world. His father came to .America from Ire- 
land, a young man. and engaged in the occupa- 




tion of a teamster in Philadelphia. He was 
born in the old 19th Ward of that city and in 
a locality in which he has since spent his life. 
He was a graduate of the Price Grammar 
School and learned the trade of a lithographic 
printer which he was forced to abandon by 
reason of ill health when he joined his father 
in the teaming business. 

He took naturally to practical politics and 
was active for the Republican Organization 
from his voting age. -Attracting the attention 
of the late Horatio B. Hackett. the leader of 
the 31st Ward, he was given an opportunity to 
climb the political ladder. Through the in- 
fluence of Magistrate Hackett in 1887 he was 
appointed to a i)osition in the Law Depart- 
ment under the brilliant Charles I-". Warwick, 
the City .Solicitor. In i8go he was prevailed 
upon to become a member of the Legislature, 
and he served one term with distinction. In 
1904 Mr. Mecleary received the appointment 
of Police Magistrate at the hands of Governor 
Pennypacker. to fill the unexpired term of 
Magistrate l.ukens. and the following I'cbru- 



220 



Feiiiis\lvania and Its riiblic Men. 



ary he was elected for the full term of five 
years. He was the president of the Thirty- 
first Sectional School Board for five years, 
and this honor came to him the night that he 
took the seat. In this position he devoted 
much time and care to the welfare of the 
schools and it was regretted when he was 
compelled to give up the work. He is a past 
master of Lodge No. 3, Free and Accepted 
Masons, a high Priest of Germantown Chap- 
ter, No. 208, and a thirty-second degree 
Mason. He is also a past commander, Knights 
of the Mystic Chain, an Odd Fellow and a 
member of the Benevolent and Protective 
Order of Elks. He has been president for 
many years of the well-known Vesta Club of 
the Thirty-first Ward and the president of the 
Tohn Mecleary Club since its birth and which 
he organized. For twenty-five years he has 
been a member of the Republican Ward 
Executive Committee and for a number of 
years its president. He has held a seat in the 
Republican City Campaign Committee prac- 
tically for six years. In order to show his 
popularity at home it can be mentioned that 
in the great battle of 1905 his division stood 
by the Republican Organization giving its 
ticket 104 majority, it being the banner division 
of the city. When he was a candidate for 
Magistrate' for the first time in 1905 there was 
but one vote cast against him in his own divi- 
sion. He has a son who is a graduate of the 
Naval Academy at Annapolis and who is at- 
tached to the Pacific fleet. 

Magistrate Mecleary organized in 1909 a 
marching club which bore his name and which 
took tw^o hundred uniformed men to Wash- 
ington, and participated in the inauguration 
of Judge Taft as President of the United 
States. 



Orrin Serfass 

Postmaster of Easton 

Orrin Serfass is a man of affairs of the City 
of Easton and Northampton County. He is a 
lawyer, a Republican leader, and business man. 
He was born in Easton, September 9, 1862, the 
son of Aaron and Margaret Serfass, who were 
able to bestow upon him an excellent educa- 
tion. Prepared for college, he entered Lafay- 
ette, and graduated in the class of 1882. Hav- 
ing determined upon the law for a profession, 
he took a course in the Law Department of 
Columbia College. New York, and graduated 
in 1884. His admission to the Northampton 
bar Qanie lulv 6, iS8^, and he immediately be- 
gan practice, which he still continues, taking 
high rank in his profession. He early became 
active as a Republican, and for years has been 
a factor and leader of his party in the county. 



He was secretary of the County Committee in 
1886-88, its chairman from 1888 to 1895; 
chairman of the Republican City Committee of 
Easton from 1888 to 1891, and still continues 
his membership in the County Committee. In 
1894 i\Ir. Serfass was elected a school con- 
troller of Easton, and in 1899 carried the 
county for Solicitor, holding the office until 
1902. He was elected a delegate to the pro- 
posed Constitutional Convention of 1891. Mr. 
Serfass was appointed postmaster of Easton by 
President Roosevelt in 1903, his administration 




giving such satisfaction that he was reap- 
pointed in 1907. He was a delegate to the 
Republican National Convention of 1904. Mr. 
Serfass founded the Fi'cc Press, daily and 
weekly of Easton in 1903, which is the Re- 
publican organ of the county, and has the 
largest circulation in the Lehigh Valley. He 
is now a director of the company. While at 
college Mr. Serfass belonged to the Delta Phi 
Delta Fraternity, and was president of the Na- 
tional Fraternity in 1892-03. He is a member 
of the Phi Beta Kappa, which is an honorary 
societv of Lafavette College; also of Dallas 
Lodge, No. 396, F. & .A. !M., Masonic Chapter, 
and Hugh De Payeus Commandery, K. T., of 
Easton. He is a pastmaster, paFt high priest, 
past commander, and also member of Easton 
Lodge of Elks, the Pom fret, and Easton Social 
Clubs, the McKinley and Northampton Re- 
publican Clubs. 



PciiiisYh'iViia and Its I'liblic Men. 



221 



William J. Brennen 

Pittsburg 

W'illiani J. Brennen as a lawyer, political 
leader and man of affairs has a repntatioii 
more than State wide. Distinctively self-made 
he came up from the ranks of the toilers and 
arising to prominence can look back upon an 




active and well spent life. His father. John, 
was a native of Pittsburg, and when he died 
in 1881 was the oldest machinist in that city. 
Mr. Rrcnnen's opportunities for an education 
were limited, since at eleven he began to work 
in the Jones & McLaughlin Mills, where he 
remained until fifteen. .After a .short titiie in 
a private school, he was apprenticed as a 
machinist in the mill of his former employers 
and completing his trade worked at it in vari- 
ous cities until 1872. when he returned to 
Pittsburg and made a special study of 
mechanical drawing and at the same time 
teaching a class of mill boys at night who 
were without opportunity of gaining knowl- 
edge. Mr. Brennen from his majority took an 
active interest in politics as a Democrat and in 
18.S0 was a candidate for .Alderman of the 
24th ward. Counted out by ballot thieves he 
contested the election and the court gave him 
the certificate and he filled the office for four 
years. The law possessing an attraction for 
him he began it.s study under J. K. P. Duff, and 
being admitted to the bar in 1883 he formed 
a partnership with his preceptor. In 1886 Mr. 
Duff retired, since which time Mr. Brennen 
has conducted the business and built up a 
large and lucrative miscellaneous i)ractice. He 



represents many building and loan association 
and important corporation interests and is 
vice-president of the Star linameling and 
.Stamping Company. He is one of the Demo- 
cratic party leaders of .Allegheny County. In 
1876 he was made a delegate to the Demo- 
cratic National Convention that nominated 
Samuel J. Tilden for President and was the 
youngest member of that body. In 1878 he 
was elected a member of the Common Coun- 
cil of Pittsburg and in 1878 was a candidate 
for the Legislature, but was defeated with 
his party. l"rf)m 1882 until 1895 he acted as 
the chairman of the Democratic County Com- 
mittee and since has served as chairman of 
both City and County Committees. In 1883 
he was appointed clerk of the newly created 
committee of Labor of Congress, serving two 
vears. For fifteen years he has been a mem- 
i)er of the Democratic State Committee and 
as an associate of Col. James M. Guffey, one 
of its forcible leaders. Mr. Brennen was 
noniinated by the Democratic State Convention 
of 1896 as a candidate for .Auditor General 
but failed of electiim. He is the acknowledged 
friend of the laboring classes. He was presi- 
dent of the Machinists' and Blacksmiths' union 
for five years and assisted in organizing the 
Knights of Labor in Pittsburg. He has been 
for many years counsel for the .Amalgamated 
.Association of Iron, Steel and Tin W'orkers; 
American Flint Green Bottle Glass Workers; 
L'nited Mine Workers of .America. Bridge 
and Structural Iron Workers: Glass Bottle 
Blowers' .Association of L'nited States and 
Canada : .Street Railway Employes ; Carpen- 
ters' District Council ; Painters' and Decor- 
ators' Union and has figured in many important 
labor cases. He represented the defence in 
the celebrated Homestead murder and treason 
cases growing out of the riots and .Alexander 
Craig in his contest against .Andrew Stewart 
for a .seat in the 52d Congress and was suc- 
cessful. He has a fine reputation as a stump 
speaker and has given his partv his services 
in every campaign since 1874. He has repeat- 
edlv declined the position of chairman of the 
Democratic State Committee. 



How I Outwitted a Hated Rival 

I have in mind the telling of an extraordi- 
nary experience that befell me when I was 
a "kid" reporter, and was afield in the an- 
thracite coal regions of Pennsylvania for the 
Philadelphia Inquirer. The miners or the 
"diggers of the dusky diamonds," in 1872 
were in a restless and angered frame of mind 
over the ever recurrent question of their 
wage. They had a union, which was headed 



999 



Fciinsvk'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



by John Siner, a labor Napoleon, who was 
beloved by them, and was bold and resource- 
ful. The operators had determined to resist 
the demand for an increase of pay, and the 
coal trade was agitated and expectant of 
trouble. In those days the foreign influx of 
labor had not invaded the regions. There 
were many more independent operators, since 
the great colliery companies and the trust had 
not been evolved or secured their present 
grip. Moreover, the miners were far more 
intelligent and self-assertive than now, since 
they consisted largely of Welsh, English, and 
Irish nationalities. It was not known at what 
point the trouble would break out, but John 
Siner had it in his individual power to call 
the strike at his discretion. I had located 
myself at Pittston, which was central and 
near the headquarters of General Bertollet, 
who was the commander of the brigade of 
the State militia, which would be the first 
called upon to repress any outbreak or dis- 
order. 

At Pittston I had become quite intimate 
with Captain McClellan who headed a militia 
company named in his honor, and which was 
attached to General Bertollet's brigade. I 
kept in touch with him, and he promised to 
tip me off should there be anything doing. 
Now, besides looking after the Philadelphia 
Inquirer I had a number of other papers on 
the side, to which I wired my stories. They 
included the New York Sun and Times, the 
Cincinnati Enquirer, and Wilbur F. Story's 
Chicago Times, then by all odds the greatest 
newspaper in America. It so happened that 
there was a local editor, named Moshier, in 
Pittston, who was the correspondent for the 
New York Herald. This fellow grew exceed- 
ingly jealous of me because I had been 
"scooping" him in New York right along, and 
he had heard from the Herald people about it. 
I was loafing at my hotel in Pittston one after- 
noon when a boy brought to me a note which 
proved to be from Captain McClellan. I 
merely read: "Be at the depot at 3.30; spe- 
cial train." 

I inferred from this that the storm had 
broken, and the trouble had developed at some 
])oint in the coal fields. It is needless to say 
that I was at the depot in advance of the 
time, and soon the gay music from drums and 
fifes of the McClellan Rifles was heard, and 
the "boys in blue" appeared to entrain for the 
"seat of war." 

It was, of course, my purpose to go with 
the troops, but where, even Captain ilcClel- 
lan didn't know. "You stick bv me, son," 
said he, "and I'll see you through all right." 
There never was a more generous-hearted or 
true-blue Irishman than he. I noticed that 
the Pittston editor, Moshier, was also there 



and boarded the train, too. At Wilkes-Barre 
other companies completing the regiment em- 
barked, together with a battery of artillery. 
After a delay the signal to start was given 
and the train headed in the direction of Phil- 
adelphia, over the tracks of the Lehigh Valley 
Railroad. The wildest rumors prevailed 
among the militiamen as to our destination, 
and of rioting at this point and that, and of 
the burning of coal breakers. But the destina- 
tion of the train was still retained as a secret. 
Darkness had come on and the night promised 
to be a wild and turbulent one, as the locomo- 
tive began the big climb of the mountains. 
Everything w-ent swimmingly with me. I 
kept at the side of my friend, the captain, 
and w-e told stories and occasionally took a 
nip from a bottle. The train had reached a 
point named the Summit, a bare and desolate 
spot, whose only building was a water tank 
that was worked automatically, and from 
which a magnificent view could be had of 
Wilkes-Barre and the Wyoming Valley. A 
stop had been made for the engine to take 
water. 

I was interrupted in my enjoyment of the 
sociability by a gold-laced officer, big in body 
and gTufi of voice, who, I saw, was accom- 
panied by my rival, the Pittston editor. 

"Young man, where is your pass?'' in- 
quired he. I instantly produced a trip pass, 
permitting me to ride free from W'ilkes-Barre 
to Bethleliem. "Here, this won't do," said he, 
"this is a special train in the service of the 
State, and it requires a special military pass, 
signed by myself, the brigadier-general com- 
manding the brigade to which this regiment 
is attached." 

I pleaded guilty to not possessing one. 
"Well, then, you will have to get off!'' was 
the command. Here my friend. Captain Mc- 
Clellan, interposed. "Why, General, I wouldn't 
put a dog off at a wild place and a night 
like this," said he. "It don't make any dif- 
ference what you would do. He's ,got no 
business or authority to be on this train." 
was the angry retort from the martinet. Then 
the soldier boys wdto were in sympathy witli 
me began to grumble and there might have 
been some fun, but just then the train started 
and I was safe for the time being. The Gen- 
eral and the editor then left, plainly disgusted 
and mad all over. 

"That cur Moshier has put this job up, and 
it is the meanest I ever heard of," was the 
comment of Captain McClellan. 

A couple of hours after this incident the 
train made another halt. It was at White 
Haven Junction. I was deep in the game of 
poker with my protector and his two lieuten- 
ants when again came along General Bertollet 
and the Pittston editor. "W^iere is vour mili- 



rcmisxii-aiiia and Its Public Men. 



nOT, 



tary pass?" ho asked, addrcssinj; nic. 1 real- 
ized that he meant business now. "1 have 
none," I replied. "Well, then, here is where 
you get off. Come, get your traps and leave 
the train." 

"I saw that I was in for it and had arisen, 
when something unexpected happened. Cap- 
tain McClellan — God bless his heart — arose, 
and, looking the pompous General squarely in 
the eye, said: "By God, General Bcrtollet. if 
this boy gets off this train, the McClellan 
Rifles will get off with him. He has got just 
as much right to be on here as that cur 
Moshier there has, who is putting you up to 
this dirty work, so that he can get a news- 
paper beat." 

There were more angry words upon both 
sides, when I was again saved by the friendly 
locomotive. The train began to move, and 
so did the defeated General and the baffled 
editor. The train was then headed in the 
direction of Ilazelton, and we knew that that 
was to be our point of destination. 

As we approached the little mountain city 
it was nearing midnight, and Captain Mc- 
Clellan turned to me and asked if I knew 
anything about the lay of the land there. I 
replied that I had never been in the town 
before. "Well, then, I will show you how 
you can get the best of that fellow. Moshier. 
As we enter the tow'n these tracks cross the 
main street and the train slows down. Vou 
jump off and skip it for the Central Hotel. 
where the telegraph office is located. Moshier 
w'ill remain on the train until it gets to the 
depot at the other end of the town." 

I gladly embraced the good Captain's ad- 
vice, and was soon in the hotel. I found but 
one telegraph operator on duty and he was 
reading a dime novel. It took me but a few 
minutes to learn from him the details of the 
mob violence that had occurred about the 
mines, and with my own stock of information 
I was prepared to write my story. 

The First Regiment, of Philadelphia, had 
followed our train from White Haven Junc- 
tion, which also made news. Almost para- 
lyzing the operator by directing him to begin 
telegrajjhing the first chapter of the novel 
he had been reading, since I was fearful that 
at any time my hated rival would appear, 
and slipping him a two-dollar note. I began 
to write as if the very old Harry was after 
me. 

The operator had fairly begtui on my copy 
when in rushed, out of breath, the Pittston 
editor. "I want the wire for the Xew York 
Herald," he said. "The wire is now en- 
gaged," was the response. 

I was duplicating my stuff to Xew ^'ork. 
Cincinnati. Chicago, and Philadelphia, with 
some of the exclusive stuff' for the latter. 



"W hen you run out of copy," I whispered to 
the operator, "start in on the novel again," 
and he <lid. 

But it was a great sight to see that again 
baflled Pittston man raging like a lion. 
Every few minutes he would go to the bar 
and liquor up, and then appeal to the operator 
to give him a chance, .\long came the late 
Mr. Coleman, who was city editor of the 
J'hiladelphia Ledger, and who had come on 
the train with the First Regiment. I ex- 
plained the situation to him, and said, "write 
your special and give the copy to me. and 1 
will get it through," and 1 was true to my 
proinise. 

At 2 o'clock "Good Xight" came, and the 
wire shut down. I had my revenge good and 
sweet, and I simply laughed at my enemy. 
I never saw a fellow more crestfallen. The 
operator and I made a balance of the night 
of it and he seemed to enjoy the Pittston man's 
discomfiture as much as I did when I e.\- 
plained matters to him. A couple of years 
thereafter I was really somewhat pleased to 
learn that Moshier had been sent to jail for 
a vear for libel. 




Hod. J. Whiltakcr Thompson 

United Stales District Attorney 



224 



PciinsYh'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



William A. Blakeley 

District Attorney, Allegheny 

William A. Blakeley. who was appointed by 
the judges of the Allegheny Courts to suc- 
ceed the late Henry L. Goehring who died in 
office as District Attorney of the County of 
Allegheny, and which was made December 14, 




190S. sprang mimediately into the lime light of 
publicity through the prosecution and con- 
viction of members of the City Councils and of 
prominent business men and bankers of Pitts- 
burg on charges of bribery and grafting. The 
preparation and the trials of these causes which 
excited interest throughout the entire country 
were masterpieces and served to add to 
the lustre of the Public Prosecutor. These 
convictions shook the business and political 
superstructure and paved the way for a clean- 
er civil government. 

Mr. Blakeley is now in the prime of life. 
He was born in Pittsburg, February 24, 1866. 
his father General Archibald Blakelev being 
a gallant soldier and a citizen of prominence 
in that busy community, who was able to 
bestow upon his son a classical education. 
After passing through the schools of his native 
city, Mr. Blakeley entered the University of 
Michigan, and laid the foundation for his 
legal training in the Department of Lan', 
graduating therefrom with high honors. He 
completed his legal education in Pittsburg and 
was admitted to the bar in 1S91. He became 



active as a Republican and his party loyalty 
and ability secured for him the positions of 
Assistant City Attorney and .Assistant District 
Attorney, both of which he filled with credit 
to himself and the satisfaction of the commu- 
nity. Mr. Blakeley was peculiarly well equipped 
through practice and experience to assume the 
duties of District .A.ttorney which were more 
onerous and trying than had ever befallen a 
predecessor. Mr. Blakeley is one of the best 
known and most successful practitioners of the 
Allegheny County bar. He has strong and at- 
tractive social qualities which render him a 
universal favorite outside of the criminal 
classes, whom he relentlessly pursues. He is 
an active member of the Pittsburg, the 
Duquesne, the Allegheny and the Pittsburg 
Country Club and of the American and Penn- 
sylvania Bar Associations. 



The Floor Privilege Not Abused 

During my long career as a chronicler of 
the Legislature, extending back to 1879, I have 
seen but one person who, by direction of the 
Speaker, was ejected from the floor of either 
House, and that was the closing night of the 
session of " '79." John M. Long, of Pittsburg, 
was Speaker of the House. The "rough 
house" and horse play that always character- 
izes the dying body, the hurling of papers 
and bills at members, and noisy demonstra- 
tions, were particularly in evidence, and the 
patience of the Speaker was painfully taxed. 
Suddenly the House was thrown into an up- 
roar by the sudden flight and scramble from 
their seats of a big group of members on the 
left side of the hall. Hughey Mackin. a wag- 
gish statesman from Philadelphia, had at- 
tached a hose to a faucet in the cloak room 
and had squirted a stream of water over a 
large section of the hall. The Speaker turned 
in that direction, and seeing a man emerging 
from the cloak room, ordered the Sergeant-at 
Arms to bring him before the Bar of the 
House. He there and then expelled him from 
the privileges of the floor, and he was thrown 
out. He happened to be a reporter of the 
Harrisburg Patriot, and was befuddled with 
liquor, and the worst of it was that he was 
entirely innocent and not in a condition to 
realize the reason for his banishment. Young 
Richard Quay, when his father was trying 
him out as a statesman and was a member of 
the House, brought a lot of ridicule on him- 
self by attempting to have Sam Losch. who 
had a political fi.ght on at the time with Sena- 
tor Quay, he being a follower of Chris. Magee, 
removed from the floor of the House. Losch 
was entitled to the privilege by reason of being 
a former chief clerk and a member of the 
House. 



rciiiisxiz'iiiiia ami lis I'liblic Men. 



225 



Charles E. Bartlett 

C'liarlcs E. liartlolt. lawyer, is regarded as 
one of the strongest authorities on municipal 

law rniinccte'l with tli.> Jiinj...- ),:,,■ mT I>|,i|-!,1,-1- 




phia. Aside from this he is achieving for him- 
self a success in the general line of civil prac- 
tice, being a fine pleader and noted for the 
thoroughness with which he prepares his 
cases. He is a native of Xorthamptoii town- 
ship, Bucks County. Pennsylvania, where his 
ancestors settled prior to the Revolution and 
some of whom participateil in that great 
struggle for national liberty. He was born 
October 8, 1873, his parents being James W. 
and Sarah A. Bartlett. Me was enabled to 
receive a liberal education and was prepared 
for Lafayette College. Easton. from which he 
was graduated in 1897. Mr. Bartlett determin- 
ed to adopt the legal profession and took a 
course in the Law Department of the Uni- 
versity of Penn.sylvania. taking high rank in 
his class. His admission to the bar occurred 
in i8g8 since when, besides pursuing his pri- 
vate practice, he has been connected with the 
State government and the City of Philadel- 
phia. In TSgq he was ap|)ointed as one of the 
Counsel for the Peimsylvania State Food and 
Dairy Commissioner and during the five years 
which he thus served he successfully prosecu- 
ted a large number of defendants for viola- 
tions of the statutes. In 1(104 Mr. Bartlett was 
15 



selected by City Solicitor John L. Kinsey to 
be one of his assistant solicitors and was 
assigned to Common Pleas Court Xo. 4 and 
which posili(jn he still retains. Immediately 
ui)on being admitted to the bar he became 
active in politics as a Republican and in the 
various camnaigns since bis services have been 
in demand and he has been on the list of 
speakers of the State and the city Republican 
executive connuittees. He is a member of 
the Union League and one of the leading 
sjiirits of the \oung Republicans of Philadel- 
phia. He is a member of the Masonic Order, 
the Founders and Patriots of America, the 
Lawyer's Club and the Pennsylvania State 
Bar .Association. Mr. Bartlett maintains of- 
fices at 1634-35 Land ritlo P.iiilding. 



Dennis McGowan 

F amous Restaurateur 

Dennis McCiowan for more than thirtv 
years has been consi)icuous in the life of Phil- 
adelphia as the proprietor of one of its lead- 
ing restaurants. .\ot to know "McGowan's" 
was an ignorance inexcusable. For thirtv 




years his establishment, situated at the south- 
east corner of Fifteenth and .Sanson! Streets, 
was the Mecca of judges, lawyers, statesmen, 
politicians, business ineii .md epicures, and its 



226 



J'ciiiisYlzania and Its Public Men. 



disappearance in February, 1909, was a cause 
of universal and genuine regret, and was 
made the subject of articles in all the news- 
papers of the city as the passing of a land- 
mark. Mr. McGowan, although still active in 
years and at the head of a popular business, 
was compelled to surrender the old stand 
where his reputation was made because the 
Union League had purchased the property for 
the enlargement of the club house. The name 
of Mc(^owan has b(jen associated with good 
eating in Philadelphia since the "seventies." 
three famous brothers catering to the ap- 
petites of epicures. These were John, Dennis, 
and George, natives of Ireland. John, the 
elder, started in the restaurant business under 
the old St. George Hotel, and Dennis and 
George were associated with him. Dennis 
branched out for himself at Seventeenth and 
Pine Streets, and subsequently removed tn 
Fifteenth and .Sansom Streets, where he ac- 
quired his fame. George established himself 
at Eleventh and Lombard, and later at Twelfth 
and Sansom Streets. Dennis McGowan had 
no idea of going out of the business of ap- 
pealing to men's appetites, and having pur- 
chased a property on Sansom Street above 
Fifteenth for $40,000, he has blossomed forth 
like a new rose. In the days of the old Vol- 
luiteer Fire Department Mr. McGowan was 
an active member of the famous Hibernia En- 
gine Company No. i, and was a sturdy Demo- 
crat of the Fourth Ward. 



Kennedy Crossan 

Contractor 

Kennedy Crossan is one of a group of 
Philadelphia contractors who have made that 
city famous in their lines. He is a splendid 
type of the self-made man. Born on a farm 
in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in 185 1. 
he came from an old family there, his grand- 
father having fought in the Mexican War. 
At fourteen he was put to the trade of a 
blacksmith, and at seventeen desiring to im- 
prove his condition, he left home and became 
a rover. He went direct to Aledo, 111., then 
by wagon train over the prairies to Hulmbolt, 
Kansas, working in a saw mill : then to Leav- 
enworth, where he was employed on a rail- 
road, and later drove a stage between that city 
and Lawrence City. Then went to Texas 
with a cattle drover, but tiring of that got a 
job in Denver, and then returned to Philadel- 
phia, his "knock about" experiences having 
made a self-reliant and steady man of him. 
He was then twenty-one and engaged as a 
laborer with Bush & Keller, railroad con- 
tractors, and they recognizing his abilities 



soon promoted him to foreman. Later he set 
up for himself and secured the contract for 
the construction of a piece of work on the 
Schuylkill \'alley Railroad between Monocacy 
and Birdsboro. He succeeded in making some 
money, and was now fairly launched with 
capital to extend his business. He obtained 
contracts from the B. & O. R. R. for work 
at Annapolis and Cumberland, and in 1886 
formed a partnership with John Kelles. The 
new firm secured important contracts for the 




building of several sections of the Western 
Maryland Railroad, and for the Pennsylvania 
Railroad in Cambria County. He then became 
associated with Thomas Nolan of Reading. 
and built the railroad between Meridian and 
Waterbury, Conn., besides doing other like 
work in New England. Mr. Crossan, in con- 
junction with Filbert & Porter, executed the 
lowering of the grade at North Penn Junc- 
tion, a substantial piece of work. He was 
one of the organizers of the New Iron Pier 
at -Atlantic City, and later conceived and 
erected the Million Dollar Pleasure Pier at 
the same resort. 

He is director of the Fox Chase National 
Bank: was President of the City Street Rail- 
way of Indianapolis; President of the New 
Haven Iron & Steel Co. ; Crossan Construc- 
tion Co. ; Treasurer of the Associated Real- 
ties Corporation Co., which is the owner of 
the new Million Dollar Steel Pier at Atlantic 
Citv ; Treasurer of the Crossan Corporation 



Fennsvlvaiiia and Its Public Men. 



227 



which owns i1k- 1 li])]>oilronK' |)r(>i)erty lu'xl l« 
the Shelburiie Hotel, Atlantic City, and Treas- 
urer of the Young's Xew Pier Auto Co. .Mr. 
Crossan is a Blue J.odge Mason. 

Upon the death of Congressman Castor he 
was given political charge of the Thirty-fifth 
Ward by the Republican Organization, and is 
a member of the Republican City Campaign 
Committee, and at the February election in 
1909 was elected a member of Select Council 
from the Thirty-fifth Ward by a majority that 
surprised his opponents. 



George Washington Sturmer 

Engineer-Or.itor 

George Washington .Sturmer. ])Oi)uIarly 
known as the locomotive engineer-orator, is 
the son of the late Captain Solomon .Sturmer. 
widely known both in l.uzerne County. I'enn 
sylvania and in West \ irginia. where he had 
large property interests. His father was a 
gallant soldier of the Civil War. serving in 
the One Hundred and Twenty-third I'ennsyl- 
vania Volunteers. He was the founder of 
the town of Sturmerville, Luzerne County. 
George W. .Sturmer was born at Pitlston. and 
after going through the public schools was 
sent to Europe for a German education in 
1865. He studied five years at a cadet school 
at Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and one year at the 
famous Heidelberg University. Returning 
home, he engaged with his father in the boot 
and shoe business. This he found too con- 
fining, and so mastered the trade of a ma 
chinist. and finally engaged as a locomotive 
fireman with the D. I.. & W. Railroad, and 
was ])romote<l to an engineer, which occupa- 
tion he still pursues. He entered politics as 
a Republican during the < iarfield campaign of 
1890. making his fir.st speech in West \'ir- 
ginia. He at once establislied a fame as a 
political orator, and has been on the |)latform 
for every Republican Presidential candidate 
to this time. He took a prominent part in the 
reform movement in Philadelphia in 1905, and 
holds the record of having delivered 257 
speeches in that exciting campaign. In igo6 
he returned to the regular Republican organi- 
zation, and was made chairman of the .Stuart 
City Party Republican League, thus adopting 
the City Party title. The league was attacked 
by that party and the Dauphin County Court 
sustained the objection. He then made the 
league a straight Republican organization, 
and its ticket polled 13.200 votes. In T908 he 
was conmiissioned to go to Western Pennsyl- 
vania to look after the political interests of 
.Senator Pi nrn^.- He contributed largelv 



through his connection with the patriotic or- 
ders and the locomotive engineer's organiza- 
tion to the re-election of the Senator. He 
also was drafted as a speaker by tile State 
and National Committees in the Taft-Bryan 
campaign, and spoke in Xew York State. 
Pennsylvania. Ohio. Illinois and West Vir- 
ginia. 

He has the reputation of being the best- 
known and most effective labor orator in the 




ciJinitry. He was the founder of the Betsy 
Ross Monument Association, it being his su- 
preme ambition to see placed a monument 
over her remains in Mount Moriah Ceinetcry. 
He is coimected with several fraternal or- 
ganizations, being a prominent Mason, past 
representative in both the Junior Order 
American Mechanics and Patriotic Sons of 
America, and is also a meiTiber of the Wood- 
men of the World and Brotherhood of Loco- 
motive Engineers. He has been running the 
Royal Blue Line trains on the B. & O. Rail- 
road between Philadelphia and Washington 
fur twenty-three vears. 

He was chairman of the I!. \- O. employees' 
baiuiuet tendered to the late Thomas Fitz- 
gerald, June 2. 1904. at 1'airmount. West \'"ir- 
ginia, one of the greatest baiKpiets ever given 
a general railroad manager in the United 
States, aiirl attended by all classes, from presi- 
dent of the road down to engine wiper. 



228 



Pciiiisyiz'aiiia ami Its I'lihlic Men. 



Frank P. Jones 

The subject of this sketch was born on 
August 22, 1880, at Wayne. Delaware County, 
Pennsylvania, and received his early educa- 
tion in the public schools of Philadelphia, and 
subsequently attended the Central High 




School. He is the son of Nathaniel and 
Sarah (Parker) Jones. Upon leaving the 
school, Mr. Jones entered the employ of 
Young, Smythe & Field Co., as stock clerk, 
and by dint of energy and perseverance he 
soon rose in the esteem of his employers and 
was rapidly promoted, until he became assist- 
ant buyer of overshirts for this firm, and he 
remained in this capacity for a period of 
eight years. Seeking pastures new, he ob- 
tained a license as a detective, in which he 
became eminently successful and numbered 
among his clientele some of the largest cor- 
porations throughout the city and State. This 
calling, however, was distasteful to him, ami 
be sold out his business in 1900. Having ac- 
cumulated some capital from his various en- 
terprises, he embarked in the spirit trade, pur- 
chasing a retail liquor emporium, which was 
located at the northwest corner of Third and 
Market Streets, and subsequently had his 
license transferred to his present location at 
1412 South Penn Square, the old emoorinm 
which was formerly run by ex-Mayor Wm. B. 
Smith, which is well known in the political 
arena. Manv inqjortant deals have been con- 



summated here, it being the rendezvous of 
many of the politicians and contractors 
throughout the city and State. 

Mr. Jones has no political aspiration for 
office, notwithstanding the leaders sought him 
to accept for Conmion Council in 1908. He 
has contented himself with his lot, and is sat- 
isfied to remain, as it were, in the background. 

Mr. Jones is director of the Parkside Re- 
publican Club and is an influential and active 
member of the Penrose, Twenty-fourth Ward 
and Ninth Ward Republican Clubs. He mar- 
ried Mrs. Mary C. Brecht, daughter of Justice 
Koch, the famous textile manufacturer. 



Senator Jim Rutan as an Angel 

I thus wrote in the Philadelphia Item: — 

■'State Senator Jim Rutan has been open- 
ing his talking valve i:i Pittsburg. He has 
been castigating Governor Beaver and the 
Republican management of the State in gen- 
eral. 

"We were all surprised to learn that 'Ruty' 
was able to generate enough steam to talk. 
We thought he had gone home to 'pass in 
his checks' and be measured for his angel's 
wings and haberdashery. I had never con- 
templated Rutan in the garb of an angel be- 
fore. When I come to think of it, Rutan as 
an angel does not appeal to my imagination. 
He would not make a pleasing angel or an 
interesting angel. There is something ab- 
horrent to me in a long, lank, bald-headed, 
slab-sided, poker-playing angel with side 
whiskers and Galway sluggers. That is a 
photograph of the angel Rutan will make. 

"My choice of an angel is a plump, gushing, 
magnetic creature, that don't have to wear a 
bustle or pad the hips ; don't resort to arsenic 
to improve the complexion, or use Sozodont 
to whiten the teeth, and who can touch the 
heavenly lyre like a Spanish senorita. But 
Rutan has evidently postponed his engagement 
with the angels for the present. While he is 
able to growl he is able to live. I never 
knew of an undertaker to have business with 
a sick man who could kick his nurse or curse 
his neighbor. But Rutan's babble has at- 
tracted some attention here. While we all 
believe that he is off his mental pedestal and 
has been for months so. and that besides he 
has got his indictment ludicrously mixed, yet 
it is irritating to have a Republican like Rutan 
criticizing a Republican administration and 
comparing it with the Mugwumpian remin- 
iscence of Governor Pattison. Rutan's 
charges disturbed the bile pot of Governor 
Reaver for a couple of days at least. During 
that time his Excellency was as irritable as 
a cinnamon bear with a splinter in its tail." 



Pciuisxlvauia mul Its I'lihlic Men. 



229 



Daniel L. Hart 

Cily Treasurer of Wilkes-Barre 

Daniel L. Hart, son of John and Mary (Mc- 
Donald) Hart, was born December 29th. 1866, 




at Wilkes-liarrc, Pa. The house in wliicli he 
was born is still his residence. His father, John 
Hart, was born in the County of Sligo, Ire- 
land, and came to the United States in 1848, 
landing in New York City, but started at once 
by stage coach (the only method of travel in 
those days) for Wilkes-Barre, Pa., where he 
settled for the remainder of his days. He 
operated the first engine (1853) ever run. in 
connection with coal mining in the Wyoming 
\'allcy. His mother was Mary McDonald 
1 lart. born in Wilkes-Barre. Pa. 

Daniel L. Hart was educated in the pul)lic 
schools of Wilkes-Barre and later at Wyom- 
ing Seminary. Kingston. Pa. He very early 
showed a leaning toward the field of letters, 
being graduated from Wyoming Seminary with 
high honors in 1886. and almost at once com- 
menced a literary career by writing for publica- 
tion and from that time has never been out of 
the public mind and eye. He thoroughly 
knows how to gain and hold his readers' at- 
tention, he has written many plays, and thereby 
gained a world wide reputation. 

His first play was "Which." then "The 
I'ootman." "Between Men." "Undergromid." 
"A Daughter of Dixie." "O'Xeil." "Washing- 



ton, D. C." These were all written at short 
intervals, and each one added more to the 
author's popularity. 

Mr. Hart's "(ioverimient .\cccptance" and 
a dramatization of Opie Reid's "Jucklins" were 
a pronounced success played by Stuart Robson. 
Later he wrote the world famous "Parish 
Priest" in w'hich Daniel Sully, made his great- 
est hit, and through it became famous. Mr. 
Hart never allows his pen to remain idle, some 
of his latest popular writings are ".Australia" 
"At Old Point Cc)mfort" "Marching Through 
Georgia" and bis latest, (not last by any 
means) ".\ Rocky Road to Dublin" which was 
staged in Xew York in 1895, and met with 
great success. 

Mr. Hart has great force of character and 
jjcrsonal magnetism, to which considerable of 
his success is due. he is a ])olished orator and a 
marvelous after dinner speaker. He is a great 
lover of the city of his birth, and no man has 
done more for its welfare. 

Mr. Hart is yet a young man. and has been 
continually clinibitig the ladder of fame since 
his first a])i)earance in print, in consequence 
we may look for still greater things from his 
pen. He was elected City Treasurer of the 
City of Wilkes-Barre. Pa.. February 20th. 1906, 
and re-elected without opposition in 1908. 




Charles Wcsl 
Contolidaled Telephone Company. Alicnlown 



230 



PcinisYlvaiiia ami Its I'lihlic M c 



William H. R. Lukens 

William 11. R. Lukciis. attonifv-at-law, en- 
joys a lucrative practice in the Common I'leas 
and the Orphans' Courts of Philadelphia 




L-uuut)', and conhncs hmisjil exclusively t(i 
civil practice. He comes from an old and 
honored family of Philadelphia, which has 
been active in its affairs, and was born May 
I". 1857. Goino; through all the grades of the 
public schools, he entered the Law Depart- 
ment of the University of Pennsylvania, .grad- 
uating therefrom in June, 1883. A resident of 
the Eleventh Ward, he became an active 
Democrat and took a leading part in its af- 
fairs, being sent to represent his party in the 
Democratic City Committee, wdiere he served 
for several years. Mr. Lukens devoted much 
attention to educational matters, and in 1891 
was elected a member of the Eleventh Ward 
Sectional School Board, acting for a time as 
its president. His activity and prominence in 
school affairs led to his appointment by the 
Board of Judges to membership on the Board 
of Public Education, and he served upon its 
most important committees, retaining the posi- 
tion until the board was dissolved by Act of 
Assembly. In 1900 he was appointed a real 
estate assessor, which he still retains. He is 
regarded as an authority on realties and titles. 
In 1899 he was made one of the trustees of 
the Odd Fellows' Temple, and in 1904 vvas 
appointed one of the receivers for the build- 



ing, which position he still holds, i le is past 
master of Integrity Lodge. i\o. 197, F. & A. 
M. : member of Columbia Chapter ; past com- 
mander of Kensington Commandery, No. 54, 
K. T. ; member of the Philadelphia Consis- 
tory, having received the thirty-second de- 
gree ; also a member of Lu Lu Temple ; mem- 
ber of Fidelity Lodge, No. 138, I. O. O. F., 
has represented that lodge in the Odd Fel- 
lows' Cemetery Co. for the past twenty-six 
years, and has served its Finance Committee 
as chairman, and has been active as its solici- 
tor for the last twenty years ; also a member 
of the State Bar .\ssociation. Lawyers' Club 
and Democratic Club of Philadelphia. 



Byron E. Wrigley 

Police Magistrate 

Byron E. Wrigley has been an active factor 
in the politics of the Thirty-third and Forty- 
third Wards from the time he reached the 
age of voting, and is a staunch Republican. 
He comes of English extraction and was born 
in the Twenty-second Ward, Philadelphia, 
March )6. 1863. He secured his education in 




tin- pulilic schools, after which he was em- 
ployed by his father, who had established a 
highly successful soap manufacturing busi- 
ness. He there remained for some years un- 
til the business was incorporated, when he was 



Pcinisyl':'ciiiia and Its I'uhlic Moi. 



231 



made a director: later on the secretary of the 
company, and for some years has been the 
president. The title of the firm is the Wris- 
ley Manufacturinp; Co., and its product is sold 
in all parts of the United Stales. lie was ap- 
pointed a member of the Hoard of Health by 
Mayor Ashbridfje and served as such for sev- 
eral years. In i(;oj he was elected a member 
of the Legislature from the old Twenty-sec- 
ond District, receiving a majority of 8000. 
He was renominated in 1904, and rolled up 
the unprecedented majority of 11,236. Mis 
usefulness to his party secured for him the 
nomination for Magistrate in 1905, and being 
elected, he was assigned to Court .\o. 20 at 
the northeast corner of ( iermantown and Le- 
high .Vveiuies. His term expires in igio. He 
was a member of the Thirty-third Ward Re- 
publican Executive Committee for si.xtecn 
years, or until the Thirty-third Ward was 
divided, and he was thrown into the new 
Forty-third Ward, in whose politics he con- 
tinues to play an important jjarl. .Magistrate 
W'rigley is a member of Masonic Lodge No. 
327 and of Klks Lodge Xo. 2. He is also 
identified with the I'orty-third and Thirty- 
third Ward Republican Clul)s, the Voung Re- 
publicans and the (ierman-.Vmcrican League. 
He is admired for his pleasing social qualities 
and his enterprise as a business man. 



Joseph R. C. McAllister 

I. R. C. McAllister, chairman of the Joint 
binance Committee of the City Councils of 
Philadelphia, is of Scotch-Irish descent, Scotch 
on the paternal and Irish on the maternal side. 
His parents were natives of Sussex County. 
Delaware, and removing to Philadelphia, be- 
gan their married life in the Second Ward 
His father. Joseph, was a staunch Whig and 
a man of influence in that party, and occupied 
the office of Health Officer of Philadelphia. 
He was a boon companion of the famous Judge 
William D. Kelley. and died in 18^7, leaving a 
widow and four orphan children. Joseph R. C. 
the youngest at eight years. The latter was 
born October 31. iS^6. in a house adjoining the 
present Bethel M. E. Church on Moyamensing 
.Vvenue. He had practically no schooling, and 
was compelled by family necessities at twelve 
years of age to contribute to its support as an 
errand boy at $2.50 oer week. Later he en 
terod the einnlov of Z. T. Pequignot. jeweler, 
which firm is still in existence. He finallv 
went with TTowcll &- Minn, a leading firm in 
its dav. and learned the trade of a pai)erhanger 
and decorator. In 1879 he became manager 
for J. C. Finn & Son. at Tenth and Walnut 
Streets, remaining ten years, and then took a 
position with Cook & Ewing. In K)02 Mr. Mc- 



.Mlister embarked in the wholesale wall paper 
business, and after engaging in it for a year 
accepted an offer from John Wananiaker, and 
was placed in charge of his decorating depart- 
ment, where he continued two years, and then 
resinned business on his own account. 

Mr. Mc.Mlister, then a resident of the First 
Ward, became active in politics in Quay's great 
fight for the State Chairmanship in 1895, tak- 
ing the side of Quay. He received the nomi- 
nation for Common Council in 1896. and being 
elected, has served continuouslv in that bodv. 




;ind is now on his seventh term. He was made 
chairman of the F'inance Conniiittec, and as 
such is now serving for the fourth time, an 
honor that has seldom been bestowed upon any 
man. This carries with it the floor leadership 
of Common Council, and in which capacity Mr. 
Mc.Mlister has won distinction, being a fluent 
speaker, a trained Parliamentarian, and having 
a marvelous knowledge of the financial affairs 
of the city. For several years he was attached 
to the Mercantile .Vppraiser's office, and in 
1908 was appointed real estate assessor. He 
has been a delegate to several State conven- 
tions, and was an alternate to the National 
Convention of 190S. He is the acting Republi- 
can leader of the P'irst Ward, and has repre- 
sented it in the Rei)ul)lican City Committee 
since 1907. He is a member of Lodge Xo. 3. 
F. & .\. M.. and of the First Ward Republican 
Club. 



232 



I'ciiiisxk'atiia and lis Public Men. 



Robert Scott Amerman 

Montour 

Robert Scott Anieniian has been one of the 
leaders of the Democratic minority of the 
Le.s:islature practii-allv fruni liis first session in 




1903. A trained lawyer and a fluent and mag- 
netic speaker, he is admirably equipped for 
service in a body like that of the House. He 
was born in Danviile, Montour County, Au- 
gust 5, 1869. He graduated from the Dan- 
ville High School, and being intended for the 
legal profession, he took a course in the Law- 
Department of the University of Pennsyl- 
vania, graduating in 1891. He was a lover of 
college sports, and was on the University foot 
ball team of 1890 and of the University base 
ball teams of 1890 and 1891. He entered the 
law office of James Scarlett, the leader of the 
Montour bar. and was admitted to practice in 
the County Courts in i8go and the State Su- 
preme Court in 1893. He early identified 
himself with the Democratic partv and served 
as Solicitor for Danville Borough from 1891 
to 1900. From 1894 to 1900 IVIr. Amerman 
was the District Attorney of Montour, two 
terms, which increased his popularity in the 
county. He was a Presidential elector for the 
Seventeenth District in 1900. and he has been 
a delegate to a number of Democratic State 
conventions. He has been tendered and de- 
clined nominations on the Democratic State 
ticket. He has al.so served in the National 



(luard, enlisting in Company F, Twelfth Regi- 
ment, Third P>rigade, in 1884. and was honor- 
ably discharged as Sergeant in 1891. His 
Democratic colleagues in the House honored 
him in 1905 with the nomination for Speaker. 
Mr. Amerman is one of the strong men on 
the Committee on General Judiciary. He has 
a large and growing law practice, and is an 
effective campaign speaker. As an evidence 
(if his popularity it can be cited that in 1902 
he ran 600 ahead of the Democratic State 
ticket, and in 1904 he received a majority of 
T056. while Roosevelt carried the county for 
President bv 166. 



Robert Gillespie 

Police Magistrate 

Robert Gillespie is the oldest police magis- 
trate now in point of continuous service un- 
der the government of Philadelphia. He has 
been a tanner, an active member of the old 
Volunteer Fire Department, a legislator and 
a magistrate. In the northern section of the 
city, where he is better known, he is univer- 
sally ]iiipular. He is a product of the "Anld 




.Sod." his father and mother having both been 
natives of Ireland. The father was a tanner 
and emigrating settled in Philadelphia on 
Frankford Road below Master, in the Seven- 
teenth Ward, which was then in the tanning 



J'ciiiisylz'aiiia mid Jts Public Men. 



233 



district, and where he found employment at 
his tratie. It was there that the future magis- 
trate was born, November 4, 1837. His 
schooling was limited, and he was early put 
to learn his father's tra<le with King & 
Coates. a firm that has long since passed out 
of existence. He remained there as appren- 
tice and journeyman until the outbreak of the 
Rebellion, when he was one of the first Pliila- 
delphians to resent the firing on Fort Sumter. 
He enlisted in May. 1861. in Colonel Smalls's 
Twenty-sixth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volun- 
teers, and was inunediately sent to W'ashins;- 
ton. He participate<l in the first battle of 
Hull Run. .\mong the incidents of that fa- 
mous battle related by him is one in which 
he was detailed to hold the ropes of Prof. 
Lowes's captive balloon, in order to allow 
him to make an observation of the enemy's 
position. This was the first time a balloon 
had ever been used in war. Magistrate Gil- 
lespie participated in all the battles of the 
Army of the Potomac, including Fredericks- 
burg, Chancellorville. the Seven Days' Fight. 
Antietam, and the W'ihlerness. and received 
no injury. He came out of the war as cap- 
tain of Company B, Twenty-sixth Regiment. 
Returning to Philadelphia, he went to work in 
the United .States Mint, and was then made 
foreman of the rolling room, being connected 
with it for fourteen years. Magistrate Gil- 
lespie was an ardent volunteer fireman, and 
was president of the Taylor Hose Comi)any 
No. 33. He was al.'o active as a Republican, 
which led to his nomination for the Legisla- 
ture in 1874. He was a member of that body 
until 1880. when he was appointed a day in- 
spector in the customs service where he re- 
mained until 1885. He was then nominated 
and elected a police magistrate, which office 
he has filled ever since. He is president of 
the Board of Police Magistrates, a member 
of the American Protestant .-\ssociation. of 
Lincoln Lodge. Odd Fellows, the Anti-Cohden 
and the Metropolitan Republican Clubs. 



Col. E. W. Patten Abroad 

That chic and seasoned statesman and "man 
of affairs," Col. Edward W. Patton, made his 
first visit to the efifete nations of Europe in the 
summer of 1900. 

I "faked" a letter for him and printed it 
in Taggart's Sniiday Times. It was as fol- 
lows : — 

(This letter was delayed in transmission.) 
Gr.\nd Hotbl de l'Empereitr, 

Rue de P.mx, P.\ris. 
Editors Taggart's Sniiday Times: 

I had practically framed up a decision to 



end my days in wicked, bizarre Paris — ah zc 
liouchee-couchee I'aree. ze I'aree of ze tlesh- 
colored tights, of lights and flowers and smiles 
— and stale eggs. My perennial and pere- 
grinatorial smile an<l the cornfield hand-shake 
that I em])loy for campaign purjioses will no 
longer shed its magnetism an<l warm the heart 
springs of that broad sweep of city west of 
Martin and l-'uller's abattoir. 

Possibly there may be some who would 
miss me on election day or the night of the 
primary, notably Jack Harris and James .\. 
.Stovell, the spiritual mejum: some who would 
sigh when knots and tangles perplex in conn- 
cilmanic matters, saying, "Oh, that the little 
wise man were here." 

I may explain that I was enabled to reach 
this singular and William Waldorf .Astor con- 
clusion as I lay on my folding bed sipping 
my cafe au lait and perusing the daily print 
of the boulevard containing the returns of a 
special election held yesterday in the arron- 
dissement of the Sienne to fill a vacancy in 
the Municipal Council. 

The French, while so charming, so chic, so 
Wanamakerish as to the sale of a bit of 
ribbon or an article of lingerie, or in making 
a charge for a pitcher of ice water — the ice, 
I strangely suspect, from a neighboring un- 
dertaker's establishment, since nothing is al- 
lowed to go to waste in France — are not poli- 
ticians born? Indeed, not to disparage the 
French. I have seen smoother politics prac- 
ticed in Vineland. New Jer.sey, than I wit- 
nes.sed at this special election in the arron- 
dissement of the Sienne. 

I enjoyed the distinctive privilege of visit- 
ing the scene of the ballotting in company 
with the Duke of Sarsaparilla and Monsieur 
Salad, the latter the religious editor and basket 
ball critic of the Family Tea Pot. a radical, 
anti-clerical journal of enormous circulation. 

There are but one thousand voters in this 
district, although a man who has been the 
father of twins, or who thinks he is or was. 
and a fellow has to do a thundering lot of 
thinking of this kind in Paris, God knows, is 
privilesred to vote twice. 

.\n(l that reminded me that in dear old 
Philadelphia we have a great many fathers 
of twins when it comes to voting twice. 

The cow punchers and rooters for the can- 
didates were slower than John Harlan's auto- 
mobile or the returns from the Twenty-second 
Ward on election night. 

General Wendell P. Bowman, who keeps 
in direct touch with the aristocracy of the 
European capital.s — his recipe for the pickling 
of crab apples being held in high esteem bv 
the chefs on this side — hail armed me with a 
letter of introduction to Count Boni. the 
dashing husband of .\nna Gould, which I 



234 



Pciinsxlz'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



liastcned to present upon my arrival ; indeed, 
before I had even looked in upon the lardin 
Mabille. 

I made for myself a large vestibule in the 
heart of the little count, by making him ac- 
quainted with the highball, which he pro- 
nounces to be even more ravishing than the 
American cocktail, as it has been perfected at 
Steels. 

My decision to renounce my citizenship in 
the first city of my love, and establish myself 
here, was largely influenced, I may say, by 
Count Boni. He is ambitious to become the 
Dave Martin of Paree. He made me the 
tempting offer of fifty thousand francs per 
month, a choice cut of all contract tender- 
loins, a night key to his little bird's nest, and 
the free use of his sea-going yacht if I should 
undertake to become his political manager, he 
being greatly impressed by our Philadelphian 
methods of carrying elections, which I fully 
explained to him. 

I was therefore upon the point of cabling 
Dave Lane to put up my seat in Se'ect Coun- 
cil for sale at one of the old established auc- 
tion houses in Philadelphia, transmitting the 
proceeds for the benefit of the Home for De- 
cayed Politicians, which was founded and en- 
dowed by the late Sam Josephs. 

But after all it touches the heart of a man 
of tender sensibilities like myself, to thus dro]), 
with a dull sickening thud, as it were, old 
chums, old associations, old ties (no allusion 
to neckties or Pennsylvania Railroad ties), 
old habits, and such. And I could never get 
used, you know, to being compelled to pay 
fare on the tram cars and the steam roads, 
to say nothing of the theatres. 

My first night at the Grand Hotel de I'Em- 
pereur an incident happened which gave me 
a singular fright, whitening several hairs in 
my moustache. I had been making a night of 
it with Joe Richmond and Bill Elkins at the 
Closerie des Lilas on the Boulevard Sebas- 
topol, just opposite the Luxembourg Palace, 
and which is one of the shady features of 
the Latin Quarter. Those who go to this fas- 
cinating dance emporium throw aside all re- 
straint and plunge wildly into the vortex of 
abandon. The French student is nowhere so 
extravagant and free as here, but he is so 
dreadfully in earnest that to a Quaker like 
myself, he seems ridiculous. The females for- 
get sex, modesty, in fact, everything, and 
plunge into the mazes of the giddy dance 
with an utter risque which adds additional fuel 
to the fires of the students. Look dovi'n the 
line of dancers and you will see a dozen or 
more grisettes with their draperies almost 
over their heads and their high heel boots 
thrown high in the air. Others clasped in 
their partner's arms, are whirled around in 



this condition, which would cause the students 
of the Philadelphia Women's Medical College 
to blush, until they fell fainting upon some 
panting rogue's breast for support. At times 
the furious excitement of the youth is carried 
beyond all moral bounds by a scene like this, 
and the panting, palpitating grisette is seized 
and held aloft by a dozen madcaps, who 
carry her around the hall with yells such as 
can only issue from the lungs of French 
students, or the boys of the University of 
Pennsylvania. 

My modesty, which, you know, is only 
equalled by that of Tim O'Leary's, was pain- 
fully shocked by the antics of the boozed 
grisette who persisted in taking my new silk 
hat for a target and kicking it off my head, 
amid the screams of her companions and the 
laughter of the spectators. We fell in with 
a gay little peach who told us she knew 
Charlie Voorhees and Dr. Dory Stulb, having 
met them when they were over, and had ac- 
companied them to the Longchamp races. I 
think that since then the little huzzy has been 
traveling entirely too swift, as Joe Richmond 
discovered, after her departure with a spec- 
tacled sport, whom she had introduced as 
Mr. Sardine, her cousin, that he had been 
touched to the tune of three hundred and fifty 
francs. 

Joe is fearful that the stable gang of the 
Twenty-sixth Ward would get onto this, and 
that Jimmy Briggs, learning of it, would 
begin to pray for him. 

But to return to my mutton, as I^ord Raglin 
would say. I had killed all the mosquitoes 
in my hotel room, as you know the French 
have not yet learned of the invention of mos- 
quito netting, and had looked the bed over 
carefully for bugs, the French bedbug, be it 
said, being the greatest grafter of his tribe, 
when I heard a noise under my window that 
instantly attracted my attention. I became 
convinced that a burglar was ascending by a 
ladder. 

Taking a revolver from under the pillow, I 
cautiously approached the aforesaid window, 
which was open, and upon looking out, the 
head of a woman appeared. I pushed the 
revolver into her face and said : "You git." 

The female burglar replied, "You bet." 

I have heard Senator Penrose say that he 
long ago established the custom of never 
locking his hotel door at night, being in hope 
that the maid de chambre may enter and 
chloroform him, but I can affirm that this was 
the first time that such a visitation was 
ever made to me. 

The next day Ned Pike, who represents my 
interests in the Betz Building during my ab- 
sence, cabled me that the Philadelphia Elec- 



I'ciiiisxlz'uiiia and Its I'lihlic Men. 



235 



trie had decidod upon another call tor a $2.50 
share assessment. 

I had three thousand shares of the cussed 
stock in my room at the time of the attempted 
entry of the female burglar, and had I known 
then that this assessment was to be made, I 
would have hid under the bed and have 
allowed her to confiscate the stock. 

Indeed, the very next day I inserted an 
advertisement in the Petit Journal, givint; 
notice to the burglars, second-story men. and 
sneak thieves of Paris, that I had three thou- 
sand shares in Philadelphia Electric in room 
^777' Motel de TEmpereur, and that anyone 
was welcome to it if he would crack the 
room. But the thieves of Paris, who are well 
informed, don't want the stock, it seems, 
having heard of the assessment, and it still 
remains a burden to me. 

I had been doing the E.xposition Interna 
tional with Dr. Andrews, police surgeon, and 
Xorry Barrett — or rather 1 could put it better 
by stating that the exposition had been doing 
me; robbed and plucked right and left. Talk 
about the Quay gang picking the bones and 
leaving behind nothing whatever for the im- 
agination to <hvell on. I could spend the 
entire outfit of my Xew Mexico mine every 
day even for the chance to rubber neck. 

This would be a fertile field for a "Mick 
and Mac" and '"Iz and Biz." and if Charlie 
Kindred would come over and start an ad- 
ministration organ, they could steal the town 
while the French were sipping their morn 
ing coffee in bed. 

I had a long and interesting conversation 
with .-\. Tomat, the speaker of the Municipal 
Council, whom I found was a valued corre- 
spondent of Iz. Durham, particularly on the 
subjects of ballot reform and the docking of 
horses tails. 

.\t the exposition the other day I received 
one of the greatest shocks of my life. Stroll- 
ing through the .American section leisurely, 
with my hand on my wallet. I noticed a man 
tending a circus lemonade stand anfl whose 
face was singularly and strangely familiar. 
Upon a closer inspection I found to my sur- 
prise that my surmise was correct, and that it 
was Sam Salter, disguised with a pair of false 
whiskers. 

"Sam," says I, "are you on?" 

"I am," says he. 

"Will that lemonade give me the jim- 
jams?" I asked. 

"It will," says Sam. 

Thereupon Toe Richmond sauntered along 
.uid .Salter, giving me the office, whispered. 
"Just tell them that you saw me." 

Yours truly. 

E. W. Patton". 



Christopher A. Gallagher 

Merchant 

The subject of ibis sketch is so well and 
favorably known that he hardly needs an in- 
troduction in this work. He came from 
County Donegal, the province of Ulster, some 
forty-five years ago. He tlnii e'^tablished 




himself in business in Philadelphia in a small 
way. His natural ability was inceptive to him 
to make the rapid strides which he has done 
in his chosen field of commerce. Mr. (ialla- 
gher is one of the oldest life members of the 
I'airmount Park .Art .Association, and he is 
also identified as a life member of the White 
Haven tuberculosis sanitarium, which is lo- 
cated at White Haven, this State. .A few 
words about this institution. It has perhaps 
done more in a medical and scientific way to 
cure and to prevent the spread of this dreaded 
disease than any institution of its kind in the 
United .States, and if the subject of this sketch 
has only lent his aid to this one particular 
branch of philanthropy, then he has done as 
unich as could be expected from any one man. 
Mr. Callagher is also a life member of the 
Catholic Philanthropic 1-iterarv .Association, 
and is prominently and iutluentiallv identified 
with the Catholic Club of Philadelphia, the 
Elks, and is in all respects entitled to proitii- 
nent recognition in this, the Blue Book of the 
public men of the State, 



236 



Fcniisylz'aiiia and lis Public Men. 



James A. Briggs 

Police Magistrate 

James A. Briggs is a political landmark of 
South Philadelphia, a man universally known 
and beloved. He was born on the corner of 
Ninth and Ellsworth Streets, June 27, 1839, 
then the old restrict of Movamensine, and 




later on moved into the adjoining house, 
which has ever since been his home. He was 
one of the original Republicans of Philadel- 
phia and cast his first vote for Abraham Lin- 
coln for President. He is a product of the 
public schools, and early in life was a dealer 
in horses. His political activity secured him 
the appointment of an inspector in the Water 
Department. For fifty years he and his son, 
Neal, who is employed in the Board of Revis- 
ion of Taxes, have together represented the 
Fifth Division in their ward Republican 
Executive Committee. During the days of the 
old Volunteer Fire Department he was an 
active spirit of the Reliance Engine Company, 
which was housed at Eleventh and Anita 
Streets. His prominence in the affairs of the 
Twenty-sixth VVartl led to his nomination for 
Select Council in 1895, and he was re-elected 
to another term of three years. During his 
career in that body he was strenuous in his 
activity in securing public iinprovements for 
his section. He took a leading part in the 
nomination for Mayor of Edwin S. Stuart, 
whose friend and admirer he has been 



throughout the political life of that distin- 
guished gentleman, and he was a delegate to 
the convention that nominated him for Gov- 
ernor in 1906. Mr. Briggs was elected a 
police magistrate in 1902, and will serve until 
1912, his Court, No. 26, being located at 1406 
Federal Street. As a magistrate he has a 
wide reputation, dealing out justice on an 
even balance, and is the friend of the friend- 
less. In fact, it may be said of him that he is 
"everybody's friend." He is a consistent and 
practical Christiati, and a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. But few men 
are living in Philadelphia who have passed 
through more exciting political scenes and 
times. He was a delegate to every Repub- 
lican county convention in Philadelphia from 
1S60 until the come-in of the primary Election 
Law. He is a member of Wm. B. Schnider 
Lodge, No. 419, F. & A. M., of the Penrose, 
tlie Twenty-sixth Ward and the East End Re- 
iiublican Clubs. 



Mayor Vaux Hears a Startling Confession 

During his campaign against Mr. !McAlccr 
for Congress to succeed Samuel J. Randall, 
I was seated one afternoon in the law office 
of the Hon. Richard Vaux in company with 
Mr. Charles P. Donnelly, Major Thomas J. 
Ryan, and the late Robert S. Patterson. 

"You know,"' said he, "that I was unsuc- 
cessful twice as a candidate for mayor of 
Philadelphia before I was eventually elected. 
My conviction was that I had won upon both 
of those occasions, and was counted out by 
the scoundrels who then manipulated the elec- 
tions of Philadelphia. This conviction was as 
firm as a rock until the other day, when the 
proof came to me in an unexpected way and 
from an unexpected quarter. I was sitting 
in my room at my hotel in Washington, when 
a card was brought to me with the name of 
George Moore on it. and the request that I 
give him a few minutes of my time. Pres- 
ently there entered an aged man whom I 
recognized, although I had not laid eyes on 
him for years, a man who, in the stirring poli- 
tics of the 'fifties.' look a leading part. 

" 'Mayor Vaux,' said he, 'I have come to 
make a confession. T am an old man and T 
realize that my days are few ; but before I 
stand in the presence of my INTaker I have a 
confession to make that concerns you, and 
which for a long time has troubled my con- 
science. Mayor, I am afraid to die without 
I have the assurance from your lips that you 
have freely forgiven me the great wrongs 
that I have done you.' 

"He then related," said the mayor, "that 
at the two elections which had resulted in 



I'ciiiisylz'iiiiia and Its I'lihlic Men. 



23: 



my defeat, lie hail been judge of the elec- 
tion for the old Central City Ward when 
they voted at the State House at Fifth and 
(hestnut Streets, and that the count at this 
l)i>ll each time was purposely held back until 
the returns were received from the other 
wards which had elected me, and the figures 
changed enough to return my opponents, 
L'harley Gilpin and Rob Conrad, victors by 
small majorities. 

"I have always believed that that State 
House board counted me out and, 'Puflfer' 
Moore, that you were the man who did it," 
the mayor declared to the supplicant for his 
forgiveness. "Before I say that I do forgive 
you. and that I hope you may die in peace," 
I said to him, "I want you to answer me one 
(piestion : Did either Gilpin or COnrad have 
any guilty knowledge of these crimes? 

" 'Xot until long after the crimes were com- 
mitted,' was the reply." 

I knew "Puffer" ^Ioore very well. He died 
a few years ago while holding a responsible 
position in the Treasury Department at Wash- 
ington. 



General Frank Reeder 

Easton 

Frank Reeder comes from an old and dis- 
tinguished family, and his own career has 
added to its lustre. He has been ccmspicuou? 
as a soldier, a lawyer and as a political leader. 
His father. Andrew H., was Governor of 
Kansas. The first Reeder, of whom accouni 
is had, was John who came from England in 
1656, settling on I-ong Island. General 
Reeder was born in Easton, May 22, 1845. 
He was sent to Lawrenceville .\cademy and 
prepared for Princeton College, and after 
graduating therefrom and having determined 
upon the law as his profession, began a course 
at the Albany Law School. His studies there 
were interrupted by his enlistment in the 
army, the Civil War then raging, he joining 
the Fourth Pennsylvania Regiment of the 
Emergency Corps in 1862. He subsequently 
was in the One Hundred and Seventy- fourtji 
Cavalry, and the Xineteenth Cavalry of the 
Pennsylvania Volunteers. He was discharged 
January 6, 1S66, as the Eieutenant Colonel, 
commanding the Xineteenth Cavalrv. which 
had the distinction of being the last volunteer 
regiment to be mustered out. General Reeder 
was wounded at Xashville. December 17, 1864. 
Out of the army he resumed his law course 
at .\lbany Law School, and graduating was 
admitted to practice in Xew York Supreme 
Court, March, 186S. He was a law partner 
of Chester .\. .Arthur, afterwards President 
of the United States. Returned lo Easton, in 



1S70, and joined his brother Howard Reeder, 
who afterward became Judge of the Superior 
Court. In iK-2 General Reeder was elected 
Department Commander of the G. A. R. of 
Pennsylvania. 

President Grant appointed him Collector of 
Internal Revenue for the I'llevenlh District in 
1873, and served until 1876. He was delegate 
to Republican Xational Conventions of 1888, 
1892, and delegatc-at-large to that of 1896. 
I le was a delegate to the proposed Constitu- 
tional Convention of 1891. As assistant to 




.^tate Chairman Louis A. W aires he con- 
ducted the Republican campaign of 1891, the 
chairman presiding over a special session of 
the State Senate. He was State Chairman in 
1892. Governor Hastings, in 1895, invited 
him to the most lucrative place in his cabinet 
and he became Secretary of the Common- 
wealth. He served until 1897, when for polit- 
ical reasons, he resigned. General Reeder 
was married October 2r, 1868, to Grace E. 
Thompson, of Boston. He is prominent in the 
social, club and church life of Easton. and 
identified with some of its financial enter- 
prises. 



Thaddeus Stevens, the great Pennsylvania 
commoner, when about to vote for the un- 
seating of a Democrat in the House and the 
seatin.g of a Republican, asked: "Which is 
.pur damned rascal." 



238 



I'cnnsxlvaiiia and Its I'liblic Men. 



William H. Funston 

William 11. Funston is a substantial busi- 
ness man of the City of Philadelphia who be- 
lieve'; it tn he ItIs duty to participate actively 




in public affairs. He was born in the Quaker 
City in 1865, and received his education in 
the public schools. His father, James, had 
established a carpet cleaning and vug manu- 
facturing business, and after leaving school 
Mr. Funston joined his father in that enter- 
prise. This subsequently came into the pos- 
session of him and his brother, and is now 
successfully operated by them under the firm 
name of William H. Funston & Brother, and 
is the largest of the kind in the city. It has 
now been established for sixty vears. Mr. 
Funston became active as a Republican in the 
Thirtieth Ward and took a deej) interest in 
the public schools, and served as a school 
director. In 1899 he received the nomination 
for Common Council, and being elected, be- 
came one of the most energetic members the 
ward had had for many years. He served for 
three terms, and was splendidly fitted for a 
career in the Legislature, for which he was 
nominated in 1902. He developed wonderful 
popularity, as he received a majority of 2700 
in a vote of 5000. He was subsequently re- 
elected to the sessions of 1905, 1907 and 1909. 
Mr. Funston has served on the most important 
committees, and on the floor takes a leading 
part. He is a member of the Masonic order. 



the Red Men, American Legion of Honor, 
Southwest Business Men's .Association, the 
Artisian Order of Mutual Protection, the 
Solar Building and Loan Association, and the 
Thirtieth Ward Republican Club. 



Frederick M. Wagner 

Police Magistrate 

Frederick M. W^agner was brought to Phil- 
adelphia by his parents from Germany when 
he was eighteen months old, together with six 
other children, including General Louis A. 
Wagner. The father was compelled to leave 
the Fatherland on account of the political 
troubles of 1848. The family settled in the 
Sixth Ward, where the father pursued his 
trade. Frederick M., through the family 
necessities was put to work at twelve, con- 
tributing his $1.50 per week for the house- 
hold. In i860 he began to learn the trade of 
a stencil cutter, and in i860 he succeeded his 
employer at No. 11 South Third Street. He 
continued in business there until elected a 
magistrate in 1900. Magistrate Wagner for- 




mally lived 111 llie Twenty-si.xth Ward, where 
he early became active as a Republican, and 
was one of the founders of the Lincoln Club. 
He was also a member of the Republican 
Ward Executive Committee. He had re- 



Pennsxlvania and Its I'uhlic Men. 



2y) 



ccivetl the appointment of Delinquent Tax 
Collector while living in the Twenty-sixth 
Ward, and prior to I1SS3 was transferred as 
such to the Twenty-fifth Ward, which there- 
after hecanie his home, ilc also took with 
him his party activity and as a reward for 
such was slated for police magistrate in 1900 
and elected. He was re-elected in 1905. lie 
became connected with the United Republican 
Club in 1XS3. and has been its president con- 
tinuously for twenty-four years, a distinction 
of which he has every reason to be proud. 
He has been a member of the Republican 
State Committee and a delegate to many Re- 
publican State conventions. Magistrate \\ ag- 
ner has been greatly interested in educational 
matters, and w-as a director of the Twenty- 
fifth Sectional School Roard for fifteen years. 
and served as its president, resigning when 
elected magistrate. For twenty years he has 
been a member of the Twenty-fifth Ward 
Republican ICxecutive Committee, and been its 
secretary and chairman. He is a member of 
Harmony Lodge, Xo. 52, F. & A. M. ; Mt. 
Vernon Lodge; Knights of Pythias: Hope 
Lodge, Odd Fellows ; Itah Tribe Red Men. 
He was grand master of the order of the Sa- 
cred Order of the Temple of Liberty. Magis- 
trate Wagner is an enthusiastic yachtman, and 
was one of the owners of the ''Minerva," a 
crack yacht of the Delaware River in her 
time. He is a good shot, and is one of the 
most ardent base ball "fans" in Philadelphia. 



Charles Herbert Heustis 

Editor of the "Philadalphia Inquirer" 

Charles H. Heustis. one of the most widely- 
known editors of Pennsylvania, was born in 
South .\cton, Massachusetts, in the old home- 
stead of the Faulkner family, of which his 
mother, Charlotte Reed, was a descendant. 
her mother being a Faulkner. His father was 
Charles P. Heustis. of old New Hampshire 
stock. The old farmhouse at South Acton 
was started as a blockkhouse or fort from 
which to fi.ght Indians, .\round it grew a 
large and rambling house which is to-day one 
of the show places of Massachusetts. At the 
time of the Revolution Colonel Faulkner was 
the colonel commanding the Middlesex County 
Minute Men. and marched on Concord and 
Lexington. In front of the window of the 
room in which Mr. Heustis was born Minute 
Men assembled while their wives and daugh- 
ters cooked their dinners and sent the food 
to them while on the road driving the British 
back. 

Charles P. Heustis left the Xew Hampshire 



farm for the sea, and subsequently connuanded 
vessels all over the world. .\s a boy the son 
cruised around Cape Horn with his father, and 
has since been an ardent lover of the ocean. 
He was educated in the grammar schools of 
San Francisco and the high schools of Boston, 
and subserpiently attended the Massachusetts 
Institute of Technology. He began work as 
a reporter on the r'.n';inn PuiVv .Id'.'rrliscr. 




and joined the staff of the I'hil.idelphia Timrs 
under Colonel .McClure in i<S86. He remained 
there, going through the various posts from 
rejMrter to managing editor, until, in i.SSg. 
he joined James I'^lverson. who had purchased 
the Philadelphia Inquirer, and became the 
chief of the editorial staff. Mr. FIverson's at- 
tention to Mr. Heustis was attracted by his 
authorship of several popular juvenile serial 
stories that he wrote for the Golden Days. 
owned by the former. .Mr. Heustis. aside from 
his editorial duties, has been active as a Rc- 
])ul>lican in the Twenty-seventh and I'ortieth 
Wards, and was a delegate to the Republican 
.State Conventions that nominated Stone and 
Cieneral Hastings for ( iovernor and that of 
I90<S. He always attends the National Conven- 
tions of both parties, and has been considerable 
of a travr'ler both in his own countrv and 
•ibroad. He holds the office of Health Officer 
of the Port of Phihulelnhia. and is a member of 
the State Quarantine Roard. He is a member 
of the L'nion League and Pen and Pencil Club. 



240 



Pennsylvania and Its I'liblic Men. 



Walter T. Sykes 

Manufacturer and Councilman 

Walter T. Sykes is a solid and progressive 
business man of Philadelphia, who holds it to 
be his duty as a good citizen to participate 



tions. He was elected to Select Council in 
1904 and re-elected in 1908. In 1900 he was 
tendered the nomination of City Treasurer by 
the Republican leaders. 




actively in public affairs. He has been for 
several years a leading member of Select 
Council, and one of the leaders of the Finance 
Committee. His father came from England 
and engaged at his trade of spinner in the 
cotton mills at Mil ford, Delaware County, 
Pennsylvania. His mother was a native of 
Delaware. The family was poor. Mr. Sykes 
was put to work in the mill when ten years 
old to contribute his share to its support. He 
was thus deprived of a schooling. His two 
brothers were also in the Milford mill, and 
grew up in it. The Sykes brothers aspired to 
a betterment of their condition, and having, 
by frugality, saved some money, went to 
Philadelphia and established themselves as 
manufacturers of carpet yarn in a small way. 
From this humble beginning arose the gigan- 
tic plant cif Sykes Brothers at Hancock and 
Hunlingilon .Streets, one of the largest of its 
kind in this country. Mr. Sykes is also a di- 
rector of the Toronto Carpet Co. of Toronto, 
Canada, and is financia'ly interested in the 
Guelph Carpet Co. of Canada; also director 
of the Excelsior Trust Co. of Philadelphia, a 
trustee of the Northeast Warehouse Conipanv. 
and director of a number of building associa- 



John F. L. Morris 

Philadelphia 

John F. L. Morris is a thorough paced busi- 
ness man who deems it a duty to participate 
in public affairs even at a sacrifice of his per- 
sonal interests. He has therefore served the 
people both in the City Councils of Philadel- 
phia and in the Legislature of his State. He 
was born in Manayunk on September 21, 1866. 
After several years residence in New York 
Cit}' he returned to his native city and has 
since made Philadelphia his home. His par- 
ents were able to bestow upon him excel- 
lent educational advantages, and after going 
through the public schools, he took a prepara- 
tory course at an institution at Burlington, 
New Jersey. Subsequently he entered Cor- 
nell University, from which he was graduated 
in 1S80. Deciding upon the law for a pro- 




fession, Mr. Morris took a course at the Dick- 
inson Law School at Carlisle. He has not 
followed law, however, as a profession, cir- 
cumstances drifting him into commercial life, 
and he is the general representative of one 



I'ciinsxivaiiia and its I'liblic Men. 



241 



of tlio largest sclK)ol-bo()k publishinfj liouscs 
in the country, having its I'hiiadel|)hia office 
in the I'erry Huilfling. Mr. Morris is an active 
Ke|)u1)Iican, and is inlUiential in the politics of 
the Twenty-first Ward. He lias served two 
terms as a member of Common Council of 
Philadelphia, from 1903 to 1907. While in 
that body he was successful in securing 
needed public improvements for his ward 
which stood him in good stead when a candi- 
date for the Legislature in 1908. The district 
had previously elected candidates of the City 
Party and his popularity redeemed it for the 
Republican party. Mr. AForris is also the 
treasurer of a paper manufacturing company 
and has other interests as well. He is a mem- 
ber of the Twenty-first Ward Republican Club, 
of the Roxborough Lodge. No. 135, F. & .\. 
M.. and is a thirty-second degree ^L^.son. Ik- 
is noted for his social qualities and good fel- 
lowship. 



J 



I Name WJliam H. Berry for State 
Treasurer 

In the political world T am accused of hav- 
ing brought about the nomination of ex-Mayor 
William H. Berry, of Chester, for State 
Treasurer, in 1905. .And the indictment is 
undoubtedly true. That nomination was. 
without a doubt, the most momentous one ever 
made by a political party in Pennsylvania. 
It resulted directly in the expose of the gigan- 
tic frauds in connection with the new State 
Capitol, and the conviction of some of the 
offenders. Had it not been for the opportu- 
nity Mr. Berry's election gave him to find 
out how the State had been trinnned, people 
would have never known that they had been 
robbed. The story of Mr. Berry's nomina- 
tion is an interesting one. .\t the time the 
Democratic State Convention met, Col. James 
M. Guffey. who shared with Senator L P. K. 
Hall, of Elk. the control of the party or- 
ganization, came to Ilarrisburg, i)ractically 
determined to name Representative Scott 
Anierman, a distinguished lawyer of Mon- 
tour, as the candidate for State Treasurer. 
There was no idea at the time that the Demo- 
crats would or could capture this office, and 
the nomination was looked upon as a mere 
party compliment and a "white man's burden." 

The afternoon prior to the Convention I 
was standing in front of the Lochiel Hotel. 
Harrisburg, with a few friends, one of whom 
I recollect w'as George McDonald. County 
Chairman of Clinton. W'e were discussing 
the treasury situation, and I can say the selec- 
tion of Mr. .\merman didn't somehow ap- 
peal to me. Suddenly like an inspiration the 
name of Mayor Berry flashed upon me, and 
I offered the suggestion that the only man 
16 



who would fill the bill at that particular 
epoch, since Philadelphia was going "hell 
bent" for reform, and reform was in the air, 
was Mr. Berry, a Democrat who had been 
elected Mayor of a strong Republican city, 
and whose reform of abuses was attracting 
the attention of the whole Slate. I al.so knew 
him to be a handsome man who would be thus 
personally pleasing to an audience, and which 
goes a great way, and a magnetic and well- 
equipped stmnp speaker and vote winner. 
Mr. ^McDonald fell in with the idea, and the 
more I thought of it the better I liked it. 
I suggested to Mr. McDonald that we get 
busy, and we did. Every few moments we 
would be slopped by some Democrat who 
would ask us who was going to be nominated, 
and we replied "Mayor Berry." The idea 
was pleasing to everybody. We then rounded 
up the county leaders as they came into town, 
and we talked Berry and they, too. liked it. 
We sent them to Co'onel Guffey and Senator 
Hall, who informed them that Mr. .Xmcr- 
nian had been slated. The callers. County 
Chairman, and delegates did not hesitate to 
say that under the circumstances and the 
])olitical conditions they thought that Mayor 
P.erry was stronger, and would make a better 
run. L'ntil late that night and the next morn- 
ing the big twin leaders heard practically 
nothing but Berry talk. They then began to 
look into the I'erry suggestion themselves, 
and it was not disnleasing to them. It didn't 
so much matter, they agree<l. who would be 
nominated, as he wou'fl be licked anyway. 
.\n hour before the Convention as,scmbled 
.'Senator Hall sent a '"rush" telegram to Mr. 
Berry, who. fortunately, happened to be in 
his machine shop at Chester, asking if he 
woukl accent the nomination for State Treas- 
urer. \\'hile the Convention was organizing 
the reply came "that he would." .All doubt 
as to his acceptance being thus removed. 
Colonel Cniffey and Senator Hall placed no 
obstacles in the way of his nomination, and 
Mayor Berry was enthusiastically nominated. 
Little (lid the makers of the ticket dream that 
that selection was to have such a momentous 
result. .\fter the election Mr. Berry was 
deeply appreciative of what I had done for 
him. and sent for me to see him at Chester. 
He would have gratefully given me a posi- 
tion under him in the State Treasurer's office, 
but I told him I would not live at Harrisburg 
and a political job did not appeal to me, in- 
asmuch as I was shaping up to quit the do- 
main of Pennsylvania and retire to my Vir- 
ginia farm. From the stage of the Conven- 
tion I wired Mayor Weaver, in Philadelphia. 
"The action of the Democratic Convention 
to-day makes you the logical candidate of 
the fusion forces for Governor." And in 



242 



Pciinsxhaiiia and Its Public Men. 



that long range prediction 1 hewed to the 
line. Mayor John Weaver did loom up as 
a formidable candidate of the reform forces 
for Governor, fusion having been conceded 
with the Democrats. Lewis Emery, Jr., of 
Bradford, uas in the field, and was backed 
by the radical reform faction headed by Ed- 
ward Van Valkenburg, of the North Atiicr- 
ican. The boom of the anti-Standard oil 
magnate had been privately launched at a 
notable and brilliant banquet he had given 
at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadel- 
phia some time before. This affair was under 
the guise of a reunion of the members of the 
State Senate who had served in that body 
with Mr. Emery. I scored a complete "scoop" 
on the other papers on this with an article 
I printed in the Sunday Item, declaring Mr. 
Emery to be a candidate and foreshadowing 
his nomination. This ambition of Mr. Em- 
ery's was known, of course, to Mr. Van 
Valkenburg, who didn't print it for obvious 
reasons. I am firmly convinced that Mayor 
Weaver would have been elected Governor 
had he been permitted to have had the nomi- 
nation. The people of the cities of the State 
who had years before discarded the kerosene 
lamp, were not interested in Mr. Emery's 
quarrel with the Standard Oil Company, nor 
could they be got interested. Mayor Weaver 
would have made a far better canvass than 
Mr. Emery, and he certainly would not have 
had to fight the great sum of money the 
Standard dumped into the State to defeat its 
arch enemy. Nor would the people of the 
State have believed what the Republican 
organization would have said against Mavor 
Weaver. They only would have replied that 
he was "cleaning the Augean Stable" in 
Philadelphia, and he would have got their 
votes as Robert S. Pattison did twice and 
Mayor Berry did once for State Treasurer. 
I know the Republican State leaders breathed 
a sigh of relief when Mayor Weaver was 
bowled out. 



James Fleming Woodward 

Allegheny 

James Eleming Woodward. Chairman of 
the Committee on Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives of the session of 
1909, has been a leading factor in the Legis- 
lature since 1905, as well as one of its most 
popular members. He made a most efficient 
chairman of the powerful Appropriations 
Committee, which position is even more oner- 
ous and but little less prominent than that of 
Speaker. Mr. Woodward is a native of 
Beaver County, having been born at New- 
Brighton, February 19, 1868. His parents 



removed to Pittsburg in 1872, and later to 
Allegheny City. His education was received 
in the public schools of those two cities, and 
from the High School of Allegheny he en- 
tered the Western University of Pennsvlva- 
nia, graduating therefrom. Having taken a 
commercial course, his first employment was 
that of a bookkeeper and clerk. LTpon reach- 
ing voting age he became active as a Repub- 
lican, and as a reward for it he was appointed 
a clerk in the Commissioner's office of Alle- 




gheny, where he served for two years. He 
then became bookkeeper and assistant to the 
Superintendent of the Western Pennsylvania 
Hospital. In 1904 he was appointed Super- 
intendent of the McKeesport Hospital, which 
responsible position he still holds. He has 
been vice chairman of the Republican County 
Committee, and is a director of the McKees- 
port Realty Company. When first a candidate 
for the Legislature in 1904, Mr. Woodward 
was elected by 9240 majority, which was un- 
precedented for the district, and served to 
show his popularity among the people he pro- 
posed to represent. In the election in 1902 
the Republican candidate for the Legislature 
had received but 500 majority. Mr. Wood- 
ward was re-elected to the sessions of 1907 
and 1909. and in all three sessions was a 
member of the Committee on Appropriations. 
He is a forcible and fluent debator, and com- 
mands the respect of the members of the 
Legislature to an eminent degree. 



rcinisylfaiiia mid Its I'liblic Men. 



243 



Joseph W. Catherine 

Jost-pli W . Catherino enjoys an enviable 
reputation as a civil lawyer, and has a splen- 
did record of important causes won. He is 
renowned for the thoroughness with which he 
prepares his cases and for his legal research. 




]Iis father was Maine liorn and a mariner 
who commanded in his time famous clipper 
ships, and later steamships sailing from Phila- 
delphia to Southern ports. He also was in 
command of L'nion transports during the Re- 
bellion. He died in I^5Q3. Joseph \\'."s 
mother was of Irish extraction. It was while 
the latter was accompanying her husband on 
a voyage that he was horn on the clipper 
"Carrier Dove," on the .\tlantic Ocean, Janu- 
ary 3, 1859. His father made his home in 
Philadelphia, being employed in his later years 
by the Southern ^Iail Steamship Co. .A com- 
mon school education was his lot. Upon at- 
taining voting age he declared himself a Re- 
publican, and became active in the Thirtieth 
Ward, so that at twenty-three he was able to 
command a clerkship in the City Treasurer's 
office under William \'>. Irvine. He was con- 
tinued there under the administrations of 
Treasurer Bell. Hardsley and a portion of Mc- 
Crcary's term. Having aspirations for the 
bar. he in the meantime read law in the office 
of Samuel Peltz and was admitted to practice 
December 18. iSK(). He remained in the Citv 



Treasurer's office anil diil not really begin ac- 
tive practice until 1H93. although in the in- 
terim he applied himself diligently to study. 

Mr. Catherine interested himself in the 
schools, and spent a (|uarter of a century as a 
flireclor of the Thirtieth .Sectional Board, suc- 
ceeding the late William J. Pollock as presi- 
dent. In igoo he was appointed a member of 
the Board of Public Education, and so con- 
tiiuied until the Board of Judges ceased to ap- 
l)oint persons thereto holding place under the 
municipal government. He served three 
terms, and much of the time was chairman of 
the Committee on Girls' High .School. 

On January I, 1893, he was tendered a 
place in the City Solicitor's office, succeeding 
Charles B. Mc.Michael. who went upon the 
bench and was assigned to Common Pleas Xo. 
2. and which position he still holds. Mr. 
Catherine has received s])ecial assignments 
which have brought him much distinction. In 
conj miction with James .\lcorn he resisted the 
demand of the State for fees retained by the 
City Treasurer amounting to $100,000. It 
was tried in the Dauphin Court and the de- 
cision was in favor of the State. 'They then 
carried an appeal to the Supreme Court and 
secured a reversal. Had the Dauphin deci- 
sion stood the city would have lost $2,000,000. 
Mr. Catherine also appeared for the city in 
the celebrated Green Lane Reservoir case 
against Porter & Filbert, contractors, and won 
that. He also secured a reversal in the case 
of McMichael and Moore. City Treasurers, 
convincing the Court that it erred in the ap- 
plication of the law as to Treasurers Martin 
and Irvine, that they were not entitled to fees. 
Seventy thousand was involved in this case. 
He won more distinction in the famous will 
case of Dr. Evans, who died in France, be- 
(|ueathing a great fortune to found an institu- 
tion in Philadelphia, and which, after ten 
years of litigation, has recently been termi- 
nated in favor of the city, the result of which 
will be the establishment of the Thomas W. 
l-ivan's Museum and Dental Institute at For- 
tieth and .Spruce -Streets. This was a very 
complicated case and necessitated several trips 
to Paris. Mr. Catherine is a member of 
Covenant Lodge, Xo. 456, F. & .\. M.; trus- 
tee of its permanent fund, and of the I-!lks. 
Lodge Xo. 2: al.so of the L'nion League, Penn 
Club, Young Republicans Club, and the Law 
.\s.sociation. 



General Coarse, former postmaster of Bos- 
ton, wired Secretary of War. Edwin M. Stan- 
ton, after the battle of Corinth : "I have 
lost my left ear. and my right cheek bone is 
entirelv gone, but I can lick all hell vet. " 



244 



I'ciiiisylraiiia and lis I'liblic Men. 



Charles Johnson 

Montgomery 

Charles Johnson, the Repulilican leader of 
Montgomery County, was horn and reared on 
a farm in Noriton Township, that county, and 





iiit-- 


■'^''^^^i^p' 


^^^^^^^^HP^ss 




'"'fe* ' " 


^^^Hlr^ 




i.fjMMB 


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H ^ 




L 



graduated from it into politics and husiness en- 
terprises. From his voting age he has been 
actively identified with the Republican party, 
and has held responsible positions under it. 
He was first elected Tax Collector for Noriton 
Township, which he held for eight years, when 
he entered the Sheriff's office at Norristown, 
serving as a deputy for five years. He was 
also Mercantile Appraiser for the county. In 
1895 he was elected High Sheriff of the 
county, serving the constitutional one term. 
In 1900 he was made the Resident Clerk of the 
House of Representatives at Harrisburg. which 
Dosition he has occupied up to the present time. 
Upon the elevation of James B, Holland to the 
United States District Judgeship, Mr. Johnson 
assumed the Republican leadership of the 
county, and has bv his dinlomacv succeeded in 
tranquilizing the party factions. He was a 
delegate to the State conventions that nomi- 
nated Samuel W. Pennyoacker and Edwin S. 
Stuart for Governor, and to the National Con- 
vention at Chicago in iqo8. Mr. Johnson has 
been connected with the Republican State 
Committee for the last eight years, three years 
having been in charge of the Speaker's bureau 
and five vears acting as its treasurer. Aside 



from politics he has other interests. He is a 
successful farmer and a member of the real 
estate firm of Brown, Trout & Johnson, of 
Norristown, and a director of the People's Na- 
tional Bank, also of the Pennsylvania Transit 
Co., and the Times Publishing Co., of Norris- 
town. Mr. Johnson is a Mason, from Blue 
Lodge to a Shriner, an Elk, a member of the 
Manufacturers' Club of Philadelphia, the Driv- 
ing Club, the Gun Club, and the Commercial 
I'lub of Xorristown. 



Ch 



arles 



Al 



cinus 



Bentley 



Washington 

Charles Alcinus Bentley is one of the most 
popular members of the Pennsylvania Legisla- 
ture, being esteemed for his pleasing social 
i|ualities and companionship. He was born in 
.Sfonongahela City, Washington County, in 
i860, and comes from an old family of that 
counly. His education was received entirely 
from the public schools of his native town. 
1 laving an admiration for the militia when at 
the age of seventeen, he enlisted in Company 
A, First Regiment of \'olunteers, which was 





^S^*-^** 







raised as an emergency command to quell the 
riots and labor disturbances in 1877 in Pitts- 
burg, Scranton and other cities. He was the 
youngest man in the roster of his company, 
and served with nuich distinction to himself. 



I'ciiiis\k-aiiia 



and Its Public Men. 



245 



tion and election in 
tcrly opposcfl by tlic 
fijressman Aclieson 
I.casruc because of 



Mis first cnipliiynHiit was witb tlic Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad, and he lias been so engaged in 
responsible positions for the last thirty years. 
Aside from this, Mr. Bcntley has engaged in 
private business enterprises, and is identified 
with lumber and mining industries, and is 
president of the Black Diamond Ivngincering 
Company. He early embraced the faith of the 
Republican party, and has followed the for- 
tunes of both the Quay and the Penrose State 
regimes. He was a member of the City Coun- 
cil of Monongahela from 1005 to 1906. when he 
was elected to the Legislature by a handsome 
majority. When a candidate for rencjmina- 
go8 Mr. Bentley was bit- 
political machine of Con- 
and the .\nti-.Saloon 
his opposition to Local 
Option, he having voted against the (raven 
bill, fathered by a member from his own 
county in the session of 1907, but was re- 
elected by a very large majority. He is a 
member of several secret orders and social 
clubs. 

Mortimer F. McClellan Carroll 

Philadelphia Mercantile Appraiser 
Mortimer V. McClellan Carroll, Democratic 
leader of the Twenty-sixth Ward. Philadel- 
phia, is of Irish parentage, his father, Morti- 
mer, and his mother, Catherine, having been 
born in Ireland, but came to this country when 
children. They settled in Baltimore, w'here the 
elder Carroll became the proprietor of a hotel 
opposite the Camden Station of the Baltimore 
& Ohio Railroad during the Rebellion, and 
which is still in existence and known as the 
Joyce House. Here Mortimer, Jr.. was born 
October 4, 1863. lie is the eldest of nine chil- 
dren, six of whom are living. The family re- 
moved to Philadelphia in 1S76. The father 
died in 1881 in extremely poor circumstances 
w-hich required Mortimer, then eleven years 
old, to assume the head of the family and 
hustle for its support. .\nd here it can be re- 
marked to his credit that in the ensuing years 
he supported his mother, who is still living, and 
his brothers and sisters, besides bestowing upon 
them an education which was denied to himself, 
remaining unmarried. During the Centennial 
he kept the news stand in the Grand Exposition 
Hotel, and later worked in the McCullough 
Iron Foundrv on Washington Avenue. From 
his first vote he became active as a Democrat 
in the Twenty-sixth Ward, and for thirty years 
he has held a window book in the Thirteenth 
Division, never having missed an election. He 
became a member of the Ward Democratic 
Committee in 1S88, and was chairman from 
1890 to 1895. Was elected a member of the 
Democratic City Committee in January. 1S97. 
and so remains. The only members exceeding 



him in point of service are Thomas J. Ryan, 
C. P. Donnelly, Ivdward X. Bennis. and John 
O'Brien, h'rom 1892 he has been a delegate to 
every Stale Democratic Convention. Lie was 
an alternate to the .National Convention at St. 
Louis in 1904. The first political appointment 
came to him in July. 1893, when he was made 
an electrician in tlu- Post Office Building, and 
after the election of President Harrison he was 
the first Democrai under the custodian of the 
buiUling who was dismissed for political rea- 




scjiis. Mr. Carroll then engaged in mercantile 
pursuits initil January. 1900, when he was ap- 
pointed a clerk in the office of the Mercantile 
.\ppraisers, and in 1905 he was made the 
minority Mercantile Appraiser. He is now the 
oldest attache of the office. He was chairman 
of the Democratic Ward Committee in the fa- 
mous Conncilmanic battle between Mc.\voy 
;ind Henderson, and conducted the deal 
wher<by the Democrats supported the former, 
while his adherents voted for the Democratic 
city candidates. Mr. Carroll is a member of 
the Southwestern Democratic .Association, the 
Foresters of America. San Domingo Council. 
Knights of Columbus, and a charter member of 
the Hereford Fishing Club of .Anglesea. 



Tom Reed, to the Blue Grass Club of Ken- 
tucky : "I know that it is a gain when a good 
man dies, but I nrefer to die at another time 
and in another t>Iace." 



246 



Pciiiisxlz'uiiia and Its I'ublic Men. 



Mahlon N. Kline 

Merchant and Publicist 

Mahlon N. Kline is one of the foremost 
merchants and public-spirited citizens of Phil- 
adelphia, a strenuous advocate of civic better- 
ments and of the expansion of the city's trade. 
He is to be found a leader in nearly all public 




movements, and is one of those who have 
served to make the city great in a commercial 
sense. As president of the powerful Trade's 
League he is ever on the alert watching for 
commercial advantage and square treatment 
on the part of transportation corporations. 
Philadelphia has for many years enjoyed the 
distinction of being the leader in the drug 
trade of the United States and the house he 
represents is one of the largest in America. 
A practically dollarless country boy, trans- 
planted to the metropolis of his State to seek 
a fortune, he has not only attained distinction 
as a genius of business, but stands as a splen- 
did example of the self-made man. Mr. Kline 
is of Pennsylvania German extraction and a 
native of Berks County, having been born 
near Hamburg, February 6, 1846. He at- 
tended the district school, and then for two 
years was a pupil in a private school at Read- 
ing. At fourteen he was sent to Philadelphia 
and secured six months' schooling in a gram- 
mar school, and then returning to his home 
when hardlv fifteen, assaved the role of a 



teacher, and taught in a country school in the 
vicinity of Reading. He secured a position as 
clerk in a general store at Hamburg, where 
he developed the commercial talent, working 
thus for a year and a half, and in the mean- 
time acquiring a knowledge of bookkeeping. 
In 1865 he was fortunate in securing an en- 
gagement as bookkeeper in the old-established 
wholesale drug house of Smith & Shoemaker, 
and with which he developed business in- 
stincts and energy that led to his admission as 
a member of the firm in 1868. Mr. Shoe- 
maker retired in 1869, and the name of the 
firm was changed to Smith, Kline & Co.; in 
1888 the firm was* incorporated under the 
name of the Smith & Kline Company. On 
January I, 1891, the business of the wholesale 
ilrug house of French, Richards & Co. was 
closed out, and Mr. Harry B. French entered 
the Smith & Kline Company, and was elected 
its vice-president, the name being changed to 
the .Smith, Kline & French Company. In vol- 
ume the business is the third in its line in the 
United States. Mr. Kline was president of 
the National Wholesale Druggists' Associa- 
tion in 1885, and was chairman of its most 
prominent and active committee from 1887 to 
1897. He was president, and has been for 
many years, a director of the Philadelphia 
Drug Exchange. He has been, since its or- 
ganization, a member of the Board of Direc- 
tors of the Trade's League. In January, 1904, 
he was elected president and re-elected in 
1907. He is also a memljer of the Board of 
l)irectors of the Bourse. He is a member of 
the Union League and the Manheim and Phil- 
adelphia Cricket Clubs. He is accounting 
warden and superintendent of the Sunday- 
school, and director of the Chapter of the 
Brotherhood of St. .\ndrew of the Church of 
the Saviour; also second vice-president of the 
National Organization of the Brotherhood of 
.St. Andrew. He is also a member of the 
Board of Directors of the Franklin Reforma- 
torv Home. 



The Boss and His Club 

The club has been the favorite weapon of 
the political boss in Pennsylvania during my 
knowledge of the State extending back to the 
dvnasty of Simon Cameron. If in any section 
a man arose who developed a genius for poli- 
tics, or evinced an independence, or was 
classed as liable to prove dangerous in the 
future, down the club would descend upon 
his luckless head and he would be consigned 
to the political potter's field. 

Quay, who was brought up in the Cameron 
school partially, wielded the club as though 
he had inherited it, and which he did, but at 
times he was conciliatory and prepared to 



Pciiiisxlvania and Its Public Men. 



247 



forget and forgive, especially when he had 
been beaten. Penrose, who inlierited the 
Quay machine, jiossesses the cruelty of the 
Canierons as to the use of the club, and lacks 
the forgiving qualities of Quay, which would 
enable the latter to make a friend of an enemy. 
The use of the club has more than once 
led to dire results and unexpected coTnplica- 
tions and troubles for the dominant I'eimsyl- 
vania boss. There is a n(jtorious instance in 
the rebellion of John Stewart, now a justice 
of the Supreme Court. 

It was the desire of John Stewart, in 1882. 
to go as a delegate to the Republican State 
Convention which nominated (ieneral Beaver 
the first time for (iovernor. He was then a 
member of the State Senate from Franklin 
County. He not only expressed his desires 
to go as a delegate, but by reason of his 
political status in the county he thought it 
warranted him in aspiring to control the 
comity's delegation. 

Simon Cameron, who was fearful that 
Stewart might become a still greater menace 
to his machine, issued orders that he should 
be beaten at any cost, and after a desperate 
and hand-to-hand conflict the .Senator was 
vanquished and a machine "Simon-says- 
thumbs-up" crowd was elcclefl. There was 
no principle involved in humiliating the brainy 
Senator, as he would have been powerless to 
harm Cameron and his plans to nominate 
(ieneral Beaver, even if so disposed; he 
would not have opposed Davis and Greer, 
slated candidates as colleagues of Beaver, 
because he sat in the Senate with them, while 
he could not have brought about the defeat 
of William II. Rawle. of Philadelphia, the 
Cameron candiilate for Justice of the Supreme 
Court, because he could have conunanded but 
his four votes from h'ranklin. Hut it was the 
Cameronian tactics to prevent a man display- 
ing any brilliancy, ability or independence, to 
shine in Pennsylvania. But now mark what 
Cameron's victory and use of the club on 
John Stewart cost him. It drove Stewart 
squarely over into the camp of the enemy. 
It inspired him to swear by the uplifted hand 
that he would seek his revenge, and that he 
would not take advantage of the darkness of 
night, but would fight in the open. It gave 
to the revolting Independents of 1882 the most 
available man in the Commonwealth as their 
candidate for Ciovernor; also one of the most 
fascinating of speakers, one of the most dan- 
gerous of leaders, one who was most familiar 
with Cameron's methods of campaigning, and 
whose candidacy gave Cameron his first jolt 
leading to the election of Robert K. Pattison 
as Governor, and the entire Democratic State 
ticket. .\nd that is what the club difl. But 
the club of this storv did even more, since the 



prestige that Pattison won as (jovernur the 
first lime enabled him to defeat Quay's can- 
<lidate for Governor, George Wallace Dcla- 
uiatcr. 

Then there is the case of the "little black- 
eyed giant" of Union, Charles L. Wolf, who 
was a thorn in the bullet-proof sides of Cam- 
eron and Quay for years, who beat the 
famous Pittsburg Riot Bill and put Bill Kem- 
blc in jail — for a few moments, and who also 
made a free-lance dash for the State Treas- 
ury. His hatred of Cameron and Quay can 
be traced back to a very small thing — the 
refusal of the State machine to give hitn a 
l)aster and folder in the Legislature and to 
a larger thing — the carving out of a sena- 
torial district that kept him out of the .Senate. 



Mastbaum & Fleisher 

Real Elstale Brokers 

Mastbaum & I''leisher constitute one of the 
leading firms of real estate brokers in Phila- 
delphia, and have been identified with many 
of the most important deals in realty that have 
ever taken place in that city during the last 
ten years. Their business is more exclusively 
confined to central realty in the section they 
dominate. 

This firm started business twelve years ago 
in a small way, and amid fierce competition 
;ind by dint of perseverance, integrity, and in- 
telligence they have built their way up to such 
an extent that they are now recognized among 
llieir large clientele as being in the front rank 
of those who are identified with their particu- 
lar interests. 

There is a distinction between that of the 
realty and the investment broker, but Mast- 
baum & Fleisher have no distinction for the 
reason that they are, to use French phrase- 
ology, par excellence in both branches of their 
profession. Both members of the firm are 
.\merican born and spirited Philadelphians, 
and with the characteristic grit of the .\meri- 
can race that puts it shoulders to the wheel, 
they have rapidly climbed the ladder of busi- 
ness fame, and to-day stand pre-eminent in 
their particular vocation. They have always 
on hand a very choice list of residences, stores, 
and business properties, either for purchase 
or rental. They are members of the Real 
Fstatc Association, and have the confidence 
and esteem of all with whom they come into 
coTitact. 

The individual members of the firm are Isi- 
<lore Mastbaum and Julius I'leisher. 



248 



I'diiisvli'iiiiia cuid Its J'liblic Men. 



Allen W. Hagenbach 

Allenlown 

Allen W. HagL-iiljach is one of the leadinij 
members of the junior bar of Lehigh County 
and a Spanish-American War veteran. He 




comes on both sides from old line families of 
Penns3dvania. German stock, his father being 
a native of Lehigh, and his mother, Agnes B. 
(Herzog), having been born in Northampton. 
His father, Dr. Allen W., was a distinguished 
alienist, and after having made a professional 
reputation in Lehigh received the appointment 
of Superintendent of the Cook County Insane 
Asylum at Chicago. As an authority on in- 
sanity his services were in constant demand as 
an expert, both in public and private cases. It 
was while Dr. Hagenbach was a resident of 
Chicago that Allen W. was born, on December 
29, 1880. While still a child his father took 
up his residence in Red Bluff. California, and 
returned to Allentown in 1890. Allen W. 
Hagenbach, after passing through the common 
schools of Allentown, took a two years' scien- 
tific course at the Kutztown State Normal 
School, graduating in the class of '96. He 
then had a year's practical experience as a 
public school teacher, which was interrupted 
bv the advent of the Spanish-American War. 
He enlisted in Company B, Fourth Regiment 
Infantry. Pennsylvania Volunteers, and took 
part in General Miles's expedition to Porto 
Rico in 1898. LTpon being honorablv dis- 



charged from the service he returned to Allen- 
town, and changing his ideas as to a profes- 
sion, entered upon the study of the law under 
the direction of the well-known firm of Kline 
iS: Dewalt in 1900, and graduating therefrom, 
was admitted to full practice in the courts of 
Lehigh County in 1903. Since then he has 
been in the active practice of his profession 
and has carved out a career for himself, en- 
gaging in both the civil and criminal branches. 
Upon the organization of the Spanish-Ameri- 
can War veterans he was chosen as the first 
Department .'\djutant of Pennsylvania in 1904 
and re-elected in 1905. Mr. Hagenbach, while 
an active Republican, has never been a candi- 
date for public office. He is a member of 
Camp George W. Schwartz. No. 21, United 
.Spanish War Veterans, and of the Livingstone 
Social Club of Allentown. 



A Wonderful Medicinal Artesian Well 

In October of 1908 it became necessary, on 
account of a prolonged drought, to drive a 
well on the Rainbow Farm of Col. Sam Hud- 
son, situated on the south shore of the James 
Kiver, a few miles from the point where that 




famous and historic stream empties into the 
deep waters of Hampton Roads. 

At the time there was no expectation be- 
vond that of supplying water necessary for 
the needs of a large and prosperous fruit, 



J'ciiiisyhiviia and Its Public Men. 



249 



stock, aiul truck farm, altliough at Day's 
Point, three miles al)(ne, tlierc is a driven 
well, yielding a medicinal water and which 
has led to the establishment of an all-year 
sanitarium whose patrons come from all parts 
of the United Slates. 

This well flows oidy a (liminiitive stream, 
however. 

The site was selected by Mrs. llatlie Hud- 
son, wife of the colonel, and was in the farm- 
house yard, a portion of the plateau largely 
composing the plantation, thirty-two feet 
above tidewater of the river, which is but a 
few feet away. 

The contract read that the dri'lers were to 
go to 400 feet, and if not then finding water, 
the operation was to be abandoned. The drill 
went through stratums of fine cominercial 
clay, of marl, a deposit of prehistoric sea- 
shells, and two solid layers of rock. 

When the depth of 380 feet had been 
reached the prospect looked blue to every one 
but W. K. Sillings, of Smithfield, Va., the 
contractor, wdio had staked his reputation that 
water would be found. Finally the actions of 
the big French geese and Pekin ducks that 
were sadly feeling the want of fresh water, 
the river being brackish, began to attract the 
attention of the workmen. The creatures 
crowed around the operation and went through 
the motion of bathing and drinking with 
shrill cries of enjoyment. Suddenly the drill 
struck the water and, with a great force and 
roar, it gushed forth from the well, mounting 
to a height of eighteen feet or more, and 
drenching every one within reach. 

At 396 feet, or within four of the contracted 
depth, a wondrous flow of a pure and sin- 
gularly palatable water was found. Contrac- 
tor Sillings wrote Colonel Hudson : "I have 
brought in the finest artesian well in this sec- 
tion of Virginia, it flowing between two and 
three thousand gallons per hour.'" The w-ell 
was the wonder of the country, and was vis- 
ited by hundreds. Persons in the neighbor- 
hood were permitted to take it away, as wells 
had failed everywhere, and it was soon learned 
that it was curing the chronic dyspeptics, with 
which the south is filled from the eating of the 
inevitable hot breads. The live stock imme- 
diately showed the beneficial effects of the 
water, the waste of which has formed an arti- 
ficial pond in the meadow and which is util- 
ized for the breeding of ducks. By means of 
pipes the surplus water is also conveyed to the 
adjacent truck field, to the cherry, pear, peach, 
quince, gooseberry, and crab-apple orchards 
and alfalfa plot. Great yields can be obtained 
from the irrigation, and droughts in the future 
defied. 

The neighborhood reports that the water 
was beneficial for dyspepsia and indigestion. 



and was a laxative. le<l to its analysis. Sealed 
samples were sent to Dr. William C. Robinson, 
city chemist of Philadelphia, who, under date 
of December 4, 1908, reported: — 

"I submit the results of an analysis of a 
sample of water taken from an artesian well 
396 feet deep at Battery Park, Isle of Wight 
County, \'irginia, received Xovembcr 20, 
1908. iieport : This water is clear, colorless, 
and has an alkaline reaction. It contains the 
following salts : — 

Sodium chloride .5-742 

Sodium sulphate '-'94 

Sodium carbonate 1S.178 

Potassium suli)hate 0.398 

Potassium carbonate 0.272 

Calcium carbonate o 3H 

Magnesium carbonate 0.103 

.Alumina and iron o.xide 0-174 

Silica 1. 218 

Carbon dioxide gas 1-970 

29.560 

Co.MMEXTS. 

"This water is free from organic matter. 
It is a notable alkaline water, containing an 
unusual amount of sodium carbonate. It 
would be especially useful in correcting hy- 
peracidity of the secretions. The water is an 
interesting one. Its use w'ould be beneficial 
to those suffering from rheumatic and gouty 
conditions, and could be taken ad libitum. I 
have been careful to give the component parts 
of the mineral matter in solution." 

This analvsis was confirmed by the United 
State Agricultural Department to whom a 
sample was sent in conformity to the Pure 
Food Law. The well has undoubtedly tapped 
a rapidly running subterranean stream whose 
widtli. dci)th. and force has not been, of 
course, ascertained. This is proven by the 
fact that the water gushes from a four-inch 
tubing with a roar that can be heard for some 
distance. This water is both to be placed 
upon the market for medicinal purposes and 
charged for a table and bar water. It excels 
manv of the stock waters that are now on the 
market in its purity and palatableness. 

Colonel Hudson is about to establish a 
sanitarium on the Rainbow Farm for rheu- 
matics and sufferers from alcoholism, for 
which its waters arc especially beneficial. The 
climate is ideal and the river view one of the 
finest in .\merica. It is an ideal spot for such 
an establishment. 



Gen. Phil. Sheridan said of the fair Shen- 
andoah Valley: "I will make that countrv 
so desolate that a crow flying over it will 
have to carry its own rations." 



250 



Pemisxk'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



Herman P. Miller 

Librarian State Senate 

Herman P. Miller, born in Fairview Town- 
ship, York County, Pa., December 15, 1863. 
When two years of age his parents removed 



and development of the capital city, was 
President of its Board of Trade in 1906, is 
President of the Union Real Estate Invest- 
ment Company, and a member of the real 
estate firm of Miller Bros. & Baker, of said 
city. 




to Harrisburff. where he has since resided. 
Educated in the public schools, some of his 
early years were devoted to carrying news- 
papers and as a messenger boy for the West- 
ern Union Telegraph Company. 

His political career dates from January, 
1876, when, at the request of Hon. T. D. 
Cameron, he was appointed a page in the 
Senate of Pennsylvania. He was reappointefl 
at each succeeding session until 1879, when 
he was made assistant to the .Senate T^ibrarian, 
by the Librarian. Major J. C. Delaney. 

He continued in this position until July i, 
1890, when, on the resignation of Librarian 
Delaney, Russell Errett. who was then chief 
clerk of the Senate, appointed him to the 
position of Senate Librarian, in which posi- 
tion, by continued reappointment, he has re- 
mained to the present time. 

Since 1877 he has assisted in the compila- 
tion of the State Manual — "Smull's Legisla- 
tive Hand-Book." and in 1908 became the 
owner of its copyright. 

In 1905 he was Secretary of the Republican 
State Committee. 

He is largelv interested in the advancement 



Walter M. McAvoy 

County Commissioner. Luzerne 

Walter M. Mc.A-Voy is another "breaker 
boy" who, like many others in the great coal 
fields of Pennsylvania, has arisen from slate 
picking to positions of honor and trust. 

Mr. McAvoy was born at Penn Haven Junc- 
tion, Pa., June 7, 1870. His parents moved to 
Hazleton while he was young, and what edu- 
cation he succeeded in acquiring was obtained 
in the public schools of that town. He was 
early sent to the mines and becatne a breaker 
boy. He was fortunate later on in securing 
a position as clerk in the big company's store 
of A. Pardee & Co., the well-known coal 
operators, and with whom he remained for 
twenty-two years, possessing their confidence 
and making himself of such service that he 
was advanced to the position of having charge 




of manv departments of the store. Mr. Mc- 
Avoy took naturally to politics and became a 
factor in Hazletcm and West Hazelton. He 
was first elected borough auditor, afterward to 
the borough council, and subsequently became 



J'ciiiisxlvatiia and /Is I'liblic Men. 



251 



a member of the scIkjoI bnanl. ami for seven 
years was Secretary of the Board of Healtli. 
His inrtueiice in the Republican politics of tlie 
county secured for him the nomination of 
County Commissioner in 1905, and in 190S lie 
was re-elected by a splendid majority. Mr. 
McAvoy is now President of the Board of 
County Commissioners. He is also a mem- 
ber of the Republican County E.xccutive Com- 
mittee. Mr. ^Ic.\voy is a 32nd degree Mason 
and a member of Irma Temple. 



John C. Palmer 

chief Clerk, Department of Supplies 

John C. Palmer has the reputation of beins; 
one of the most popular, efficient, and cour- 
teous officials connected with the Philadelphia 
City Hall. He has had a varied and interest- 
ing career, both on land and sea. and has 
visited nearly every country in the world. 
He was born in 1862, in Frederick County, 
Maryland, where his younger years were 
spent, and for eight years he served as a 
principal teacher of a Grammar .School. He 
then took a course at Eastman's Business Col- 
lege, of Poughkeepsie. New York, after which 
he was fortunate in securing an appointment 
to a clerical position in the United States 
Navy Pay Office, Washington, D. C, under 
the administration of President Harrison, and 
there he gained his first experience in the pur- 
chase of supplies. His ability soon brought 
him to the notice of his superiors, and he was 
assigned to sea duty as pay clerk in the United 
States navy, in which capacity he served for 
three years (most of the time on the Euro- 
pean Station). When the Spanish- American 
War began he was assigned to the flagship 
''San Francisco," which played such an im- 
portant part in the blockading of Cuba, and 
was given a Spanish-.\merican War Medal 
by the government. While thus engaged he 
handled millions of the governitient's money. 
.•\t the conclusion of the war he was appointed 
pay clerk at the United .States Naval Home in 
Philadelphia, and became a resident of the 
Thirtieth Ward, where he was active in poli- 
tics as a Republican. Subsequently he was 
promoted to the responsible position of Chief 
Clerk in the General Storehouse at the Ports- 
mouth Navy Yard, Virginia, and was later 
transferred to the League Island Naval Sta- 
tion, Philadelphia, where he was assigned to 
duty as Chief Clerk in the Department of 
Supplies, and served three years in that ca- 
pacity. When he again became eligible for 
sea service he was assigned to duty as Pav- 
master's Clerk on the Flagship "Illinois" on 
the European Station. I'pon her return from 



a cruise, he was made pay clerk on the Re- 
ceiving .Shi]) at League Island, Philadelphia. 
He then decided to (|uit the government serv- 
ice, but continued t(j be active in politics as a 
Republican. His usefidness to his party se- 
cured for him a clerkship in the Department 
of Supplies. City Hall, Philadelphia, where he 
has risen from one position to another, until 
he now holds the office of Chief Clerk, and 
resides at 620 .\, I'iftv-sixth Street, in the 




Thirty-fourth Ward. W bile living in Mary- 
land he was active in politics, and served as 
a delegate to both .State and Congressional 
conventions, and was a vice-President of the 
National League of Republican Clubs of the 
United States. Mr. Palmer was elected a 
delegate on two dilTerent occasions to the 
Congressional Conventions that nominated 
General Bingham for Congress. While in 
the navy Mr. Palmer enjoyed the honor of 
a personal audience with Pope Leo XIII. 
and received his blessing. He also was a 
witness of the Coronation of King Edward 
of luigland. His ancestors settled in Pennsyl- 
vania, and his great-grandfather, Michael 
Palmer, served with Washington at Trenton. 
Princeton, and was wounded at Brandywine. 
He was one of the six hundrerl soldiers that 
saved the day at Long Island when it was 
attacked by the British. .After the Revolution 
Mr. Palmer's great-grandfather became a 
resident of Mount Joy. Pennsylvania. 



25: 



rcniisxhaiiia and Its I'ltblk Men. 



Elias Abrams 

Assistant Highway Commissioner 

Elias Abrams is one of the most popular 
and best-known of the Republican organiza- 
tion ward leaders of Philadelphia. For many 




years he was a conspicuous uicuibcr ol tUc 
Legislature, serving in six sessions. He has 
devoted a life titne to practical politics, and 
was one of those who materially assisted in 
changing the Sixteenth Ward from a Demo- 
cratic to a reliable Republican one. He was 
born in the old District of Kensington, No- 
vember 4, 1862, and is the son of Michael and 
Emma G. Abrams, who were well known in 
their day. He received his education in the 
public schools, and at an early age enteretl 
upon an apprenticeship with a coachmaker, 
and at which trade he subsequently worked as 
a journeyman until 1876, when he received his 
first political appointment. He was born in a 
hot-bed of politics, and naturally gravitated 
into a division worker as a Republican. Un- 
der President Arthur's Administration he was 
given a position in the United States Mint. 
From this he went on the force of carpenters 
employed in the construction of the new City 
Hall, and later was tiiade a general foreman 
in the Water Deiiartment. In 1890 his polit- 
ical activity enabled him to command a nomi- 
nation for the Legislature, and then began his 
career in that body, which extended over the 
sessions of 1891-93-95-97-99 and in 1901. He 



served on man)- of the most important com- 
mittees and at several sessions was one of the 
Republican floor managers. When the break 
came between Senator Quay and Martin in 
l'hila<lelphia, Mr. Abrams took the side of the 
(. nnibine as against Quay, and was made the 
leader of the Sixteenth Ward. In the famous 
deadlock session of 1899 Mr. Abrams was one 
I if the sturdy seventy-six who voted for John 
Wanamakcr as against Quay, following the 
personal leadership of the late Chris Magee, 
whose close friend and admirer he was. Mr. 
Abrams has been a delegate to innumerable 
Republican State conventions. Since he left 
the Legislature he has been connected with 
tlie Bureau of Highways, and is now one of 
the Assistant Commissioners of Highways, 
lie is a member of the Garfield, Sixteenth 
Ward and Edwin S. Stuart Republican Clubs, 
and the Mozart Singing Club. He w-as a 
member of the Republican City Committee for 
several years, until the Shern Act made him 
ineligible. He is a devoted sportsman with 
the gun and rod, and is a member of outing 
clul)s which have club houses on the Maurice 
and the Delaware Rivers. Mr. Abrams is re- 
garded as one of the squarest men in the ac- 
tive politics of Philadelphia and is universally 
esteemed. 




Tfioinas Talbot NeUon 

Distinguished Fire Insurance Adjuster 

(See sketch, page 1291 



r\viiis\lvaiiia ami /ts I'lihlic Men. 



253 




,'/-v.5-^ />/^^Tc:' 



Hon. James P. McNichol 

Distinguished Slate and City Republican Leader, Prince of Contractors 
and Successful Business Man. i See sketch, page 144) 



254 



Pcinisxhania and Its Public Men. 



Charles F. Fluck 

Charles F. Fluck is one of the most widely- 
known and progressive business men and pub- 
lic-spirited citizens of the great northwestern 




section of Philadelphia. He has been for 
years a persistent and active opponent of ma- 
chine politics and a strenuous champion of 
honest civic government. He is a native of 
Allentown, Pennsylvania, in wdiich city he was 
born July 18. 1873. His education was ac- 
quired there in the public schools, and there 
his boyhood was spent. He subsequently went 
to Philadelphia, where he acquired a knowl- 
edge of pharmacy, and in 1894 established 
himself as a druggist at Twenty-fourth and 
Ridge Avenue, where he has developed a large 
and prosperous business. Mr. Fhick early 
identified himself with the Republican party 
and became active in its affairs, but when the 
people revolted at the domination of the Re- 
publican organization in the memorable year 
of 1905, he enthusiastically entered into the 
campaign conducted by the City Party and 
became one of its leaders in the Twenty-ninth 
Ward. He continued to participate in the ac- 
tivities of the Reform Party, which is now 
known by the title of the William Penn Party, 
and is now its leader in the Twenty-ninth 
Ward. Mr. Fluck was one of the founders of 
the Northwest Business Men's Association, 
formed to secure public improvements, better 



municipal government and transportation fa- 
cilities, was its president for four years, and 
is now a director. He is also a director of 
the Children's Playground Association and of 
the Nazarene Home, and vice-president and 
chairman of the Executive Committee of the 
Citizen's Transit and Public Utilities Associa- 
tion. 



Thomas A. Lee 

Deputy Factory Inspector 

Thomas .\.. Lee is known as an energetic 
Republican in South Philadelphia, where he 
was born in i860 of Irish parentage. He re- 
ceived his education in the public schools. His 
first employment was with the Pennsylvania 
I'tailroad, and eventually he became the fore- 
man for that corporation at the big freight 
warehouse at Front and Federal Streets, i\Ir. 
Lee became active in politics in the Thirty- 
si.xth Ward from his first vote. He has repre- 
sented the Seventh Division in the Republican 
Ward Executive Committee for several years, 
and in 1891 was elected its chairman, which 
position he still retains. He entered the serv- 
ice of the State as a Deputy Factory Inspector 




practically when that department was organ- 
ized, and has held the position continuously 
since, having charge of one of the most im- 
portant districts in the city. Mr. Lee is a 
stalwart of the stalwarts of Republicans, and 



I'ciiiisxlz'aiiici and Its Public Men. 



255 



in all the party strugs^ios in his lime he has 
never wavered in his allegiance to the organi- 
zation. He is a member of Washington Lodge, 
No. 59. F. & A. M., the Thirty-sixth Ward 
Republican Club, and is its first vice-president, 
lie enjoys the distinction of never having lost 
his election division since he has had control 
of it. and he is next to the ward leader. Hugh 
Black, in the hearts of the people of the ward, 
his name being a household word in that com- 
munitv. Mr. Lee's family consists of a wife 
and two children — John, a bookkeeper for the 
Eastman's Sand Company, and Gertrude, now 
sixteen, who is a lover of the classics and a 
student of Shakespeare. 



Frank S. Gorman 

City Commissioner, Philadelphia 

Frank S. Gorman was a good newspaper 
man who, drifting into politics, became suc- 
cessful and now enjoys the distinction of 
being the youngest man ever elected to the 
important office of City Commissioner of Phil- 
adelphia or to any other "row office" of that 
city. He was born in the Quaker City Sep- 
tember 19, 1884, and acquired his education 
entirely from the public school system, and 
that best of all the schools, a newspaper office. 
He passed through the Martha Washington 
• Irannnar School, and then entered the Boy's 
t'entral High School in 189S. He was obliged 
to interrupt his course there in his sophomore 
year, and took a position as a reporter on the 
staff of the North American, where he re- 
mained for three years and w'here it was 
found that he possessed the true newspaper 
instinct. Mr. Gorman was then otTered a 
position on the Record, which he accepted. 
In 1903 he returned to the Central High 
School in order to complete his course, work- 
ing as a regular reporter in the meantime. He 
graduated in 1903 and was the class historian. 
In February, 1905. he passed a civil service 
examination, and was appointed to a respon- 
sible position by Mayor John Weaver in the 
Bureau of Health. In the meantime Mr. Gor- 
man had been exceedingly active in the affairs 
of the City Party, and the experience he had 
gained of practical politics and the acquain- 
tances he had formed led to his selection as 
Chief Clerk to the City Connnittee of the City 
Party. He thereupon resigned his position 
imder the city government. His work as an 
organizer proved so valuable that in March. 
1907. he was made the permanent Secretary 
in charge of the headquarters of the City 
Party, and continued in the same capacity 
with the Philadelphia Party, which succeeded 
the City Party. .\t the uniform primary elec- 



tion in 1907, Mr. Gorman was the City Party 
candidate for County Commissioner, but was 
defeated by the Republican organization steal- 
ing the nomination by throwing its spare votes 
by the thousands to Robert J. Moore, who was 
also on the Republican ticket, lie then went 
before the people on nomination papers as the 
candidate of the Philadel))hia I 'art v. and was 




elected the minority connnissioner over John 
M. O'Brien, Democrat, receiving 56.000 votes. 
He has the distinction of being the youngest 
County Connnissioner in the State of Penn- 
svlvania. 



Quay Picks Knox for His Successor 

When Senator Quay finally realized that 
the Grim Reaper had marked him for his own, 
and that his days were hut few, he set rap- 
idly to work putting his "house in order.'' 

The first intimation that Billy W right, his 
indefatigable secretary, had that the Senator 
knew that death was knocking at his door, 
was one morning in Washington when he saiil 
to him, "Billy, the consular service would not 
be distasteful to you. I have Mechlcnburg 
open." 

"But I don't want tr) go into the consular 
service now. I want to stay with you." 

"But I desire you to look in the Blue Book 
there and see what Mechlcnburg pays." 

Mr. Wright did as the Senator commanded. 



256 



Pcniisvhaiiia and Its Public Men. 



and he frankly told liim that it didn't pay 
enough. 

"Well, then we will pry open Munich," the 
Senator rejoined. "Piatt has a man there 
and I will get him to transfer him." 

That day Senator Quay saw Senator Piatt 
and cablegrams brought about some sudden 
moves on the consular chess board. 

The American consul, at Dawson, in the 
Klondike, was anxious for a European assign- 
ment, and he being a Piatt appointee, was 
offered Mechlenburg and accepted. Piatt 
had another man, consul at Three Rivers, 
Canada, and he was induced to move to Daw- 
son. Piatt's man at Munich accepted the 
station at Three Rivers, which left Munich 
open to Mr. Wright. 

The next day Senator Quay directed Mr. 
Wright to indite a note to President Roose- 
velt, requesting that he be appointed consul 
to Munich. To this Mr. Wright demurred, 
proposing that Senator Quay should write it. 
The Senator that morning was having a bad 
spell. 

"No, you write the note," rejoined the Sen- 
ator, "and tell the President to appoint you 
to-day. I tell you to say to-day. Sign my 
name to it, and take the note to the White 
House." 

President Roosevelt acceeded to the Sena- 
tor's request that day, and the transfer of 
the consuls was made. 

This incident shows how Senator Quay was 
providing for the future of his secretary, Mr. 
Wright, who had served him faithfully and 
loyally for twelve years. During the ten 
months that Quay was out of the Senate in 
the deadlock, Mr. Wright acted as his secre- 
tary, refusing to accept pay. 

.'\n incident then happened which proves 
that Senator Quay had selected the man who, 
upon his death, was to succeed him in the 
Senate ; that he had determined to hand 
down the succession to and at the same time, 
it effectually disproves the story that Colonel 
Quay wanted his son Richard to succeed him, 
and which had such prominence in the press. 

Senator Quay, immediately after Mr. 
Wright's appointment to Munich, directed 
him to go to Attorney-General Philander C. 
Knox and request him to name a person for 
the secretaryship of his Senate Committee on 
the Expenditures of the War Department, 
and which was then occupied by Mr. Wright. 
This General Knox declined to do, but he did 
name a new messenger for the committee. 

Quay had arranged that the brilliant Pitts- 
burg lawyer and Roosevelt's attorney-general 
should be the junior senator from Pennsyl- 
vania when he was gone. 



Charles E. Vogdes 

Highway Commissioner 

Charles E. Vogdes is one of the best-known 
Republicans of the Twenty-fourth Ward, 
Philadelphia, having been active in the inter- 
est of that party since he possessed a vote. 
His father, Jesse T., was one of the most 




prominent operative builders of West Phila- 
delphia, and during his career erected several 
hundred residences and other buildings in that 
section. The name of his mother was Emma 
K. He was born in Philadelphia, October 15, 
1854. and after passing through the public 
schools, took a course in Pierce's Business 
College, graduating therefrom in October, 
1872. A year after his graduation he began 
the study of civil engineering in all its prac- 
tical branches under the direction of Joseph 
Johnson, well-known as a district engineer of 
the Survey Department of the city, and later 
on he went under the instruction of General 
Russell Thayer, who had a reputation in his 
profession. Later he engaged in the manu- 
facture of pearl goods at Thirtieth and Chest- 
nut Streets, which he finally disposed of to 
enter into the hotel business, and became the 
proprietor of the well-known Perkiomen Hotel. 
Later he was engaged to manage the Hotel 
Columbia at Cape May, which he conducted 
for eight seasons. He was appointed to his 
present position as Assistant Commissioner of 



Pcinisxhaiiia and Its Public Men. 



257 



Higluvays in 1906, which is in (Hrcct line with 
his profession. Mr. V'ogtlcs is an active mem- 
ber of the West I'hiladelphia and the Hamil- 
ton Republican Clubs, and of !•;. Coppee 
Mitchell Lodge, Xo. -.47, F. & .\. M. 



John Connell 

John Connell is. by rare good fortune, a 
native Philadelphian, by taste and cultivation 
a book lover, by profession a lawyer, and by 
active practice a good fellow. This last is 
not merely an individual achievement ; he is 
the son of his father, the Hon. Horatio P. 
Connell, some lime .Sheriff of Philadelphia 
County, and all the time beloved by every- 
body. 

His brother, Charles E. Connell, member of 
Councils from the Fortieth Ward, is, by rea- 
son of seniority in service, the father of that 
body. .Another brother, George Connell, a 
man of great personal popularity and marked 
qualities of leadership, is the member from 
the Fortieth Ward of the Executive Commit- 
tee of the Republican narty. 

His grandfather, George Council, by divers 
acts of signal public service, blazed a path to 
Harrisburg in iiS6o, where, as State Senator 
from the Fourth District for twelve consecu- 
tive years, he set up some standards of polit- 
ical achievement that not even the mad rush 
of twentieth century progress has been able to 
oh' iterate. 

It was a John Connell who, as presiding offi- 
cer at the first town meeting in Philadelphia 
after the declaration of war in 1812, rang the 
curtain up on that historic drama and who. 
later, as the confidential messenger from the 
.American Commissioners of Peace at Ghent, 
rane that same curtain down. 

Mr. Connell is in his thirty-sixth year. 
From the public grammar school he entered 
the Hamilton School, graduating in 1893. 
.After four years in active business he was 
appointed .Assistant in the Library of Con- 
gress, Washington, D. C. 

A wide reading in general literature finally 
inclined him to the law as affording unequaled 
mental discipline, the very broadest founda- 
tion for the study of afifairs and practical in- 
sight into the principles of human govern- 
ment. 

With such aims he matriculated in 1898 in 
the Law Department of Coliunbian Univer- 
sity. In 1901 he was duly admitted to prac- 
tice at the bar of the District of Columbia. 
Returning to his native city the year follow- 
ing, he soon commanded a successful practice 
at the Philadelphia bar. He enterecl public 
17 



life in igo6 as .Assemblyman from the Twenty- 
first District, to which office he was re-elected 
in 190H by a largely increased majority. 

Notwithstanding the increasing demands of 
public duties and a growing professional prac- 
tice, Mr. Connell still finds time for the pur- 
suit of his favorite studies in literature. Here 
we find him at once the zealous student and 
the ripe scholar. His is the devotion of a 
sincere lover, to whom affectation and indif- 
ference are alike abhorrent. .An anient stu- 




dent of the languages, he culls from widely 
divergent fields flowers of rhetoric rich in 
their native coloring and perfume — from the 
simple directness of Homer to the finished 
perfection of De ^Maupassant, from the re- 
sounding periods of Cicero to the studied 
culture of Goethe, from the lisping rhyme of 
modern society verse to the caustic cynicism 
of Carlyle and the transcendental philosophy 
of Emerson. .A cosmopolite in intellect, his 
tastes arc simple, domestic, and democratic. 
To waste an evening in the company of his 
friends, where the occasion is enlivened by 
song and the discussion turns informallv now 
upon some well-known classic, now. perchance, 
upon a poem submitted by one of their own 
number — this is his ideal ; this, for him, is to 
live. And it is in an atmosphere thus fitted 
to his talents and congenial to his tastes that 
his friends live also. 



258 



Pcmisyl-c'aiiia and Its I'liblic Men. 



Hon. Frank M. Riter 

Frank AI. Ritcr has been a prominent factor 
in the public life of Philadelphia almost from 
his admission to the bar. He comes from an 
old and honorable family, his father, Michael, 
being a large owner of realty and including 
the famous Mrs. John Drew's Theatre on Arch 




Street. He was born in Philadelphia May 20. 
1855, and educated at the Friends' High 
School. Selecting the law for a profession, he 
graduated from the Law Department of the 
University of Pennsylvania, and was admitted 
to the bar in 1878 and began active practice in 
the Philadelphia courts as a civil lawyer exclu- 
sively, and which he still continues, in addition 
to supervising his father's large estate. Mr. 
Riter embraced the Republican party upon at- 
taining his majority and became active in its 
interest in the Tenth Ward and serving as a 
campaign orator. This led to his appointment 
as an Assistant City Solicitor under Nelson 
West, and in which position he won consider- 
able distinction. He rejiresented his ward in 
the Common Council, and took a leading part 
in the debates, and the prominence he obtained 
in that body led to his nomination for the Leg- 
islature in 1888. This opened a wider field for 
his ability and he took a leading part on the 
floor during the four sessions of which he was 
a member, besides serving on the most impor- 
tant committees. Mr. Ritcr's natural antipathy 



to party bossism and legislative jobs caused 
him to strenuously oppose the Quay machine 
and its speculative and political measures, par- 
ticularly in the session of 1895, which led to 
his selection by Mayor Warwick and his ad- 
visors in April of that year as Director of 
Public Safety. Mr. Riter gave to this office a 
vigorous and clean administration, although 
Republican factionalism marked the period. 
He served for four years. Returning to his 
law practice he was next drafted for the public 
service by being named by Mayor Weaver as 
one of the commissioners tinder the new 
Municipal Civil Service Law, and he was made 
president of the board. This appointment was 
in direct line with his predilection, as he is an 
ardent advocate of the merit system. He went 
out of office with Mayor Weaver. 

Mr. Riter is a member of the Union League. 
Penn Club and the various law associations. 
Mr. Riter has always maintained his party 
regularity. 



How Penrose Missed the Mayoralty 

The unsophisticated world labors under the 
impression that the Hon. Boies Penrose was 
foully assassinated for Mayor of Philadelphia 
in 1899 in a sensational convention which was 
supposed by the bulk of the delegates who had 
assembled would nominate him, but instead 
made Charles F. Warwick the candidate. It 
is the almost universal belief that the change 
from Penrose, who had been an avowed can- 
didate for a year, to Warwick, whose name 
had not been mentioned publicly in connec- 
tion with the office, was a coup de theatre 
and the result of a hastily hatched conspiracy. 
At all events the town was dazed by the shift 
from Penrose to Warwick, and David Martin 
and the late Charles A. Porter fell heir to a 
lot of sour apple talk and jagged criticism. 
The story of this dramatic political incident 
is worth the relating. 

Israel W. Durham had fallen into the sole 
leadership of the Seventh Ward, his political 
preceptor and erstwhile partner, Samuel F. 
Houseman, having quit the game to devote his 
time to private affairs. Durham, who had be- 
gun to "feel his oats" and was ambitious of 
setting up housekeeping as a city leader, took 
up Penrose, who was then in the State Sen- 
ate, and coached him for Mayor. Penrose 
had the hay field publicly all to himself up to 
the threshold of the nomination. Then there 
were whisperings and rumors as to the man's 
moral character, and the purists, the old 
maids, and the young, and the preachers be- 
gan to inquire if he was morally healthy 
enough to be made the Mayor of a great, 
pious, scrapple-eating city like Philadelphia. 



Pennsylvania and Its Pnblic Men. 



259 



This went so far that the Protestant ministers, 
in their denoniinational weekly meetings, took 
the matter up and were threatening as moral 
bosses in the event of his nomination to de- 
nounce him from their pulpits. This situation 
naturally alarmed the big Republicans and the 
corporation bosses who were interested in a 
business way in having a Republican Mayor 
elected. All were alarmed, with exception of 
Durham and Penrose. About a w-eek before 
the date of the convention there was a con- 
ference hurriedly called in the Rroad Street 
Station, which was attended by President 
Roberts of the road, William L. Latta, David 
Martin, Charles A. Porter, I. W. Durham and 
a very few others whose names have faded 
from me. This was a bed-rock palaver called 
to talk over the now darkening mayoralty 
situation. The danger lurking in the nomina- 
tion of Penrose was explained to Durham. 
who was a dare devil in politics and who had 
to feel the club on his head at times before 
he could be made to realize a truth or measure 
a situation, but he would not consent to drop 
his candidate. He was told there was no dis- 
position to deprive him of the task of naming 
the candidate, and that almost anybody but 
Penrose would be acceptable to all hands. 
The President of the Pennsylvania backed 
this up. However, as an ultimatum he was 
taken in hand like a stubborn child and was 
given forty-eight hours in which to select an- 
other candidate and the conference broke up. 
He then began to wire telegrams frantically 
to Quay, who was in Washington, to come to 
Philadelphia and intercede with Martin. 
These Quay ignored. Durham acquainted his 
old preceptor, Sam Houseman, with the ulti- 
matum, and who strenuously urged him to 
embrace the chance that had been given him 
and drop Penrose and take up (icnoral Ring- 
ham. Still inflated with the idea that he could 
yet effect the nomination of Penrose he re- 
jected the Bingham idea, and the forty-eight 
hours slipped away and the time was far over 
ripe. In the meantime Charles A. Porter and 
Martin, knowing the bull dog nature of Dur- 
ham as a holdfast, began to prepare for an 
einergency by a shufifie of the cards, and 
quietly agreed upon Charles F. Warwick, who 
was City Solicitor, and a man of brilliant at- 
tainments, for the place. Four days after 
Durham had received his forty-eight hour 
ultimatum he went to Houseman and begged 
him to go to Washington and bring on old 
Quay and General Bingham, saying that if 
Penrose was lost to him that it might be pos- 
sible at that late hour to induce ^lartin and 
the others to accept Bingham. Durham com- 
plained that Quay wouldn't reply to his tele- 
grams, and he was in a feverish state. 
Houseman, although still in Select Council. 



wasn't bothering nuich about the next Mayor, 
consented for friendship sake to help pull 
Durham out of the hole. That night he 
started for Washington, and knocking Gen- 
eral Bingham up at 4 o'clock in the morning, 
induced him to take the 7 o'clock train with 
him for Philadelphia. Houseman next visited 
Senator Quay's house, on K Street, and 
succeeded in alarming him into poking his 
head out of the window to ask what was 
wanted. He came down and let Houseman 
in. The latter explained the acuteness of the 
situation in Philadelphia, saying that Durham 
desired him to intercede with Martin, but 
Quay declared he preferred to keep out of the 
mess. It is barely possible that any other man 
but Houseman could have thus succeeded in 
effecting a change in his mind. "There are 
reasons aside from politics," he said, "that 
makes it important that I should not be known 
to be in Philadelphia to-day. However." he 
continued, "I will go over and you can meet 
me in a closed carriage at the Baltimore and 
Ohio depot at 11 o'clock." He was met there 
and driven to the Spruce Street residence of 
-Senator Penrose, where Durham and General 
Bingham also were gathered. Tabs were be- 
ing kept by Durham on the movements of 
Martin, and when Quay arrived at the house 
Durham knew that Martin was then in the 
Continental Hotel. Quay was prevailed upon 
to send him an urgent message to come to the 
Penrose residence and meet him. To this 
Martin replied that he had an important busi- 
ness conference on at the hotel which would 
|)revcnt his coming, and that anyhow Durham 
had taken five clays instead of forty-eight 
hours in which to make good with a new can- 
didate, and had failed, and that nothing could 
come of a meeting. It was believed by all 
present that Martin was playing the "yaller 
dog." and old Quay, flying into a rage and 
sulphuring the atmosphere a la the Prince of 
Darkness, sent word back by a messenger to 
Martin that he "could go to hell." This was 
the parting of the ways between the two men. 
This was the casus belli. It was a pathetic 
and disgusted group thus gathered in that 
house on Spruce Street on that winter's morn- 
ing. It was realized that the jig was up, that 
Penrose was entirely out of the question, and 
that the Bingham sheet anchor had gone to 
the bottom. Quay departed for the depot as 
secretly as he had come, going back a thor- 
oughly angered man, and cursing Martin for 
all he was worth, both in this world and the 
next. To think that he. a United States Sena- 
tor and a boss of sixty-seven counties in 
Pennsylvania, should be thus treated with 
contempt ! As a sequel to his anger a few 
days later he cowardly arose upon the floor 
of the Senate and chalked upon the high brow 



260 



Pciiiis\i:'ai!ia and Its f'liblic Men. 



of David Martin the famous dollar mark. 
And the night of the day of Quay's visit the 
orders went forth to the ward leaders all over 
town that they would he expected to cast the 
vote of their delegations in the next day's 
convention for Warwick instead of Penrose. 
And in that convention Durham could only 
muster forty-three votes for his candidate. 
So it would appear that the reported assassi- 
nation of Penrose for Mayor is a political 
myth, and it would also appear that I. W. 
Durham was the direct cause of the break 
between Quay and Martin at this epoch. 



C. C. Widdls, Jr. 

C. C. Widdis, the subject of this sketch, 
first saw the light of day on January 20, 
1863, having been born in Germantown. He 
received his early education in the public 
schools, and in 1878 he entered the employ 
of a large manufacturing house, which made 
a specialty of fancy goods, as a clerk, and 
remained with it for a period of ten years, 
during which time he rapidly rose in the es- 
teem and confidence of his employers. _He 
left there to enter the employ of the United 
States Government, being appointed to the 
custom house in 1889, and remained there 
until 1891 in the capacity of inspector of cus- 
toms. Mr. Widdis entered the political life of 
the city upon attaining his majority, and 
served as a city father in Common Councils 
from the Ninth Ward for fifteen years, hav- 
ing the distinction of having been President 
of the Ninth Ward Republican Club for five 
consecutive terms. 

Mr. Widdis is a son of C. C. and Mary E. 
(Keyer). His late father did much for the 
service of his country, just before the sub- 
ject of this sketch was born, he enlisted in the 
150th Pennsylvania Volunteers as a private. 
By dint of his good services for his country 
he was rapidly promoted until he obtained the 
rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, and at the famous 
second battle of Bull Run he was captured 
and confined in the Libby Prison for twenty- 
five months and eighteen days, at the end of 
which time he was released by reason of his 
wounded condition, receiving an honorary dis- 
charge from the army. Mr. Widdis is a prom- 
inent and influential member of the Leeds, 
Drigo, L^nion Republican. Young Maenner- 
chor. and Schlitzcn Clubs, and is prominently 
identified with the P. B. O. E. and Free and 
Accepted Masons. Mr. Widdis conducts a 
prominent cafe at 52 N. Tenth Street, where 
he is generally admired and esteemed by all 
with whom he comes into contact. 



Francis Shunk Brown 

Francis Shunk Brown, the distmguished 
lawyer, is a son of Charles Brown, who had 
a long career in Congress as a member from 
Philadelphia, covering the period between 
1841 and 1849. Upon his maternal side he 




is no less distinguished, his grandfather, 
h'rancis Rawn Shunk, having been twice 
(iovernor of Pennsylvania. He thus comes 
from good political stock, and naturally in- 
herits an aptitude for public affairs. Mr. 
Brown was educated in the public schools of 
Philadelphia, in which city he was born, and 
at an academy at Dover, Del., and from which 
he graduated in 1874. 

He became a student at law and took a 
course in the Law Department of the Univer- 
sity of Pennsylvania, graduating as an LL.B. 
in 1879. He was admitted to practice the same 
year. Mr. Brown's career at the bar has been 
romantically a success from the start, and 
his firm of Simpson & Brown is now one of 
the leading law firms of Pennsylvania, de- 
voted to corporation, civil, election, and part- 
nership law. Mr. Brown is a director of the 
Board of City Trusts, which is the only pub- 
lic position he has ever held. He is an en- 
thusiastic sportsman, and is prominent and 
active in the Pennsylvania Naval Reserves, 
having been the Commodore of the Command. 
He has been President of the Lawyers' Club, 
and is a conspicuous figure in the State Bar 



I'citiisxlz'oiiia and Its I'lihlic Men. 



261 



Association. He is an cx-ConinKxiore of the 
Philadelphia Yacht Club. Mr. Brown has 
occupied for some years the position of Coun- 
sel and Advisor of the city and State Repub- 
lican organization, and possesses the confi- 
dence of the Republican leaders to the fullest 
extent. He is credited with being the po- 
litical father of ex-Mayor John Weaver, hav- 
ing suggested him for district attorney. Mr. 
Hrown is credited also with the authorship 
of the famous bill making the city copartTier 
with the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Com])any. 
and which became a law. 

Mr. Brown is a man of many lovable finali- 
ties, and has the capacity of making and re- 
taining friends to an eminent degree. It has 
been predicted of him that he will some day, 
in the not distant future, become a successor 
of his grandfather as Governor of Pennsyl- 
vania. 



Robert M. Catts 

Real EUlate Operator 

Robert M. Catts has established a reputation 
in the realm of real estate and building con- 
struction, his operations including the cities 
of Philadelphia, New York, and Brooklyn 
more particularly. He is a bold and audacious 
operator, and possesses the grasp for large 
undertakings. Of late he has devotc<l his 
energies and resources to the construction of 
buildings, notably dwellings, rather than to the 
sale of properties on coniiriission, although 
this branch of his extensive business is not bv 
any means neglected. Mr. Catts is a native 
of Kent County, Maryland, where his boy- 
hood was ^pent. At nineteen he went to 
Philadelphia and was fortunate in securing a 
position as a salesman for an important whole- 
sale grocery house, and was assigned by it to 
cover a territory embracing Western Pennsyl- 
vania. Xorthem N'ew York, and Ohio. He 
was thus engaged successfully for several 
years. He then decided to branch out for 
himself, and with this end in view opened 
a real estate brokerage business in Philadel- 
phia, which was successful from the start. He 
secured the confidence of certain Philadelphia 
capitalists, and has managed for them as syn- 
dicates a large number of real estate under- 
takings. .Among other (lesirable properties he 
has effected the sale of is that at the southeast 
corner of Thirteenth and Market Streets. 
owned by the Blackburn estate, and which was 
bought by Congressman La Fdan, of York, at 
a record price per foot. In the summer of 
1907 Mr. Catts purchased the Flander's Hotel 
and converted it into an office building, and 
which since has been operated at a i)rofit, al- 



though it had been ran at a loss from the day 
it was opened as a hotel. It is now one of 
the tnost valuable properties on Walnut Street, 
the best producing of its valuation and char- 
acter in the city. He has also disposed of 
other large properties on Market and Arch 
Streets in I'hiladelphia. Mr. Catts was one 
of the founders of the .Mdine Trust Company, 
and was one of its Directors for a time. Ow- 
ing to the depression in the real estate market 
of Philadelphia through the Roosevelt panic. 




Mr. Catts became interested, in 1908, in a 
large building enterprise in New York, and 
opened offices in the Singer Building. He 
is there the President and General Manager 
of the Beneficial Realty and Construction 
Company, which is operating upon an exten- 
sive scale. One of his present undertakings 
is the largest ever attempt.-d in Xew York, 
and comprises the development of the Phila- 
delphia idea of one family dwellings. In this 
his associates are well known Philadelphia 
business men. Mr. Catts" training in the real 
estate business has been thorough, and he is 
regarded by those so connected and by people 
who have had business relationships with him 
as an expert, and he is fast establishing the 
reputation in N'ew York that he enjoys in 
Philadelphia. He still has faith in Philadel- 
phia realty, and when its condition improves 
will be found back there in the game. 



262 



I\viiisxl7'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



Harry S. Calvert 

Secretary Slate Railroad Commission 

Harry S. Calvert, of Pittsburg, has a StatL- 
wide reputation which has come to him 
through his newspaper work on the Pittsburg 
Leader and his connection with important in- 
vestiefations nf State scandals authorized b 




the Pennsylvania Legislature. His father, 
Alexander H., and mother, Jane (Scott) Cal- 
vert, were natives of Beaver County, Pa. Mr. 
Calvert was born at Etna. Alleghenv County, 
and going through the public schools, entered 
the Western University of Pennsylvania and 
graduated with the class of 1893. His inclina- 
tion led him into journalism, and immediately 
after leaving the University he became con- 
nected with the staff of the Pittsburg Leader. 
rapidly rising in his profession, since he pos- 
sessed, to a marked degree, the true instincts 
of the newspaper man. He was made the leg- 
islative correspondent for the Leader at Har- 
risburg, succeeding the author of this work in 
1897 and continued as such until 1906, besides 
acting as its political editor. He possessed the 
confidence of the leading public men of the 
State, and was thus enabled to be of great 
value to his paper. He purchased an interest 
in the Pittsburg Leader, which he held until 
IQ06. Since then he was connected with the 
Republican State Committee, and in charge of 
the Press Bureau and of the local organization 



in Allegheny County. He has attended in his 
professional capacity all the National and 
State political conventions since 1896. In 
1906 he was made Secretary of the legislative 
investigation to probe the Insurance Depart- 
ment, and in 1907 was appointed Secretary 
and Excutive Officer of the State Capitol in- 
vestigation, in which he displayed great ability 
and usefulness. In February. 1907. Mr. Cal- 
vert was selected as Secretary of the newly- 
created State Railroad Commission from a 
large field of candidates. He is a member of 
the University Clubs of Pittsburg and Phila- 
<lelphia. the Press Country and Americus Club'; 
of Pittsburg, the Harrisburg Clul), Engineers. 
Angle-Nit and Country Clubs of Harrisburg. 
and the Canadian Camp Club of Ontario. 
Canada. He is also the owner of a fine farm 
in the Cumberland Valley. 



Hon. Daniel S. Walton 

Waynesburg 

Daniel S. Walton is a conspicuous member 
of the State Senate of Pennsylvania, repre- 
senting the Forty-sixth District, which em- 
braces the counties of Washington and 
Greene. His family has been well known in 
the aft'airs of Pennsylvania for a century. He 
is a native of Greene Count}'. His parents 
were in a position to give him fine educational 
advantages, and after preparation he was sent 
to Aska Loosa College of Iowa. Returning 
to his home at Waynesburg, he subsequently 
entered Waynesburg College, from which in- 
stitution he received the degree of M. A. He 
has always taken a great pride in the latter 
institution, and has served on its Board of 
Trustees and been its President for many 
years. Senator Walton was admitted to the 
bar in 1872, and has been in active practice 
for thirty-seven years. He has been a factor 
in the Republican politics of Greene County 
and the counties embraced within the Forty- 
sixth Senatorial, and the Twenty-third Con- 
gressional Districts for a number of years. 
He has served as President of the Waynes- 
burg Borough Council and is identified with 
a number of important business enterprises. 
He first entered the State Senate in the ses- 
sion of 1895, ''"d at the close of the session 
of 1897 was chosen President Pro. Tent. He 
then retired for a period, devoting himself 
entirely to his business affairs, and in igo6 
was again taktm up by the Republicans of his 
district and elected. Senator Walton is re- 
garded as one of the leaders of the bar of his 
section, and is noted for his business sagacity 
and executive ability. 



Fcitiisxk'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



263 



David Taylor Hart 

David T. Hart, Real Estate Assessor of 
Philadelphia and political loader in the Twen- 
tv-third Ward, is of Rneflish extraction. His 




parents were horn in Manchester, England. 
and coming to .\merica in 1842, married here. 
Mr. Hart was horn at Cuniherland, Maryland, 
Septemher 15, 1857. His father was a partner 
in a prosperons hrass foundry in Cumberland 
that was destroyed hy the Confederates in 
1863. He thereupon removed his family to 
Philadelphia, finally settling in Frankford 
and becoming Superintendent for Bemont &• 
Dougherty, iron founders. David T. attended 
the public schools, and was then apprenticed to 
the Bridge Water Iron Works of Philadelphia, 
acquiring the trade of a machinist. He worked 
at this occupation for several years, becoining 
active in the meanwhile as a Repub'ican. This 
led to his appointment in 1885 as Assistant 
Paying Teller in the City Treasurer's office 
under Frank F. Bell, and later he was pro- 
moted to be First .Assistant Paying Teller un- 
der Treasurer McCreary. In 1897 he received 
the appointment of Police Magistrate from 
Governor Hastings to fill the unexpired term 
of Horatio B. Hackctt, who had been elected 
Stat" Senator. In 1898 he was nominated and 
elected for the full term of five years. M its 
conclusion, in partnership with Benjamin Hep- 
worth, Mr. Hart purchased the Frankford Dis- 



patch, and has greatly increased its business 
and influence. 

He was appointed a Real Estate Assessor in 
1904, and rianpointed in 1909. In the political 
and factional struggles in the Twenty-third 
Ward Mr. Hart has conspicuously figured, and 
was the Republican organization leader. He 
represented the ward in the City Campaign 
Committee for fourteen years. He is a direc- 
tor in the Decatur Building .\ssociation, mem- 
ber of the Frankford Cotuitry Club, the United 
Republican Club of the Twenty-third Ward. 
pastmaster of Frankford Lodge, No. 292, F. & 
.A. M., past high priest of Siloam Chapter, 
.\'o. 226, R. A. M., and a life trustee of the 
Masonic Temple of I'rankford. In 18S7 Mr. 
Hart married Martha I. Praul, of Frankford; 
they have a son. Stanley H.. born in 1888, and 
a daughter, Marian, born in 1903. 



Thomas E. Murphy 

Thomas E. Murphy is one of the three pop- 
ular sons of the famous Francis Murphy, the 
moral suasion temperance evangelist, all of 
\\ linni possess the mnguelic .-ind livable trrn't- 




of their distinguished father. His birth place 
was Louisville, N. Y. When yet a lad. and 
in 1 88 1, he became the private secretary of 
his father and accompanied him in his won- 
derful temperance campaign in England. Scot- 
land and Wales, which resulted in a great tcni- 



264 



rciiiisyivaiiia and Its I'lihlic Men. 



perance revival in those countries, thousands 
of persons being induced to sign the pledge 
and don the "white ribbon." his chosen emblem 
of total abstinence. He also later served in 
the same capacity when his father conducted 
his successful revival meetings in nearly all 
the States of the Union. Mr. Murphy obtained 
his education in the public schools of Portland. 
Me., and subsequently, having decided upon 
the law as a profession, attended the Union 
Law School of Chicago, and subsequently com- 
pleted his legal education with \V. Horace 
Rose, of Johnstown, I^a. After his admission 
to the bar he joined his brother, the Hon. 
Robert S. Murphy, in Johnstown, in the prac- 
tice of his profession. In 1902 Mr. Murphy 
came to Philadelphia and entered upon a suc- 
cessful professional career, which he still con- 
tinues, having offices in the North American 
Building. He resides at 6400 Drexel Row. 
Overbrook, and is noted for his hospitality and 
good fellowship. Mr. Murphy is a member of 
the Masonic Order, Petrolia Lodge, Oil City. 
Pa., of the Elks, the Clover, the Social Art, the 
Manufacturers, the Philadelphia Country, the 
JNIerion Cricket and the Overbrook Golf Clubs. 



George D. Porter 



councilman 



George D. Porter, member of Common 
Council from the Twenty-second Ward, is 
of Scotch-Irish ancestry. The family origi- 
nally settled in Lancaster County, Pennsyl- 
vania. His great grandfather, on the pater 
nal side, was a soldier of the Revolution, a 
lieutenant in the Pennsylvania line. The 
mother's side were Hamiltons, and his grand- 
father, William Hamilton, of Lancaster, was 
a man of affairs in Lancaster County, servinj; 
as a constable and a member of the Legisla- 
ture and occupying other offices. His father, 
George S., was a Civil War veteran, and went 
out with Company I, 197th Regiment, Penn- 
.sylvania Volunteers. He was a native of Lan- 
caster County. At the conclusion of the war 
he went to Iowa, where George D. was born 
on a farm near Vinton, September 8, 1875. 
In 1888 the family removed to Tallapoosa. 
Georgia, where the father engaged in busi- 
ness, and in 1894 they made another removal 
to Philadelphia. Mr. Porter had received his 
schooling in Iowa and Georgia, and upon set- 
tling in Philadelphia, entered the law offices 
of Judge J. Willis Martin and J. Sergeant 
Price, and which are now conducted by Eli 
K. Price, Jr. Mr. Porter did not study law, 
but devoted his attention to the real estate 
branch of the business, which he still con- 
tinues. In 1899 Mr. Porter became a resident 
of the Twenty-second Ward and interested 
himself in political affairs. He is an inde- 



pendent Republican in thought and action, and 
a strenuous advocate of civic betterment. 
Upon the formation of the City Party, in 1905, 
Mr. Porter actively identified himself with 
it. and this led to his nomination and election 
to Common Council, in 1906, for the unex- 
l)ired term of Wilson Brown, who resigned to 
become Sheriff. In the following February 
he was elected for the full term. At the first 
session he served on the important commit- 
tees of Finance, Highways, Water and City 
Property. He was Secretary of the old Mu- 
nicipal League of the Twenty-second Ward, 




and one of the organizers of the City Party 
there. He also served as Secretary of the 
City Campaign Committee of that party until 
his election to City Councils. He acted as 
Secretary of the first county convention of 
that party, held in 1905, in the Academy of 
Music. He was Chairman of the Campaign 
Committee formed to bring about the nomi- 
nation of J. Fred. Shoyer for District Attor- 
ney in 1905. He is admitted to be the ablest 
organizer of the independents of the Twenty- 
second Ward. Mr. Porter is a member of 
the City Club, Philadelphia Cricket, the Phil- 
adelphia Canoe, and the Germantown Clubs, 
Sons of the Revolution, Sons of Veterans, of 
the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and 
Sights and Relics Society of Germantown. 
He was married October 4, 1897, to Mattie 
Hayhew, of Mauricetown, N. J., and has one 
son. 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



265 



William S. Benson 

Assistant Director ot Public Works 

William S. Benson is one of the very few- 
men who was selected for responsible office 
under the administration of Mayor Reyburn. 
of Philadelphia, by reason of their technical 
knowledsfc and ailministrative ability, rather 




than through political inthiencc. He is of 
Irish ancestry, his father, Lloyd, and his 
mother, Mary, being natives of County Ar- 
magh, and came to this country married in 
1854. Mr. Benson was born in Philadelphia 
in 1856, and when two years old his father 
died. He was subsequently adopted by an 
aunt, and after being under her care for a 
few years was admitted to Girard College, 
W'hcre he obtained an education, remaining 
for nine years, and leaving the institution in 
1879. He then entered the employ of the 
Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad 
as a clerk in the company s offices in Phila- 
delphia, and continued there until 1882, when 
the road was leased to the Pennsylvania sys- 
tem. Mr. Benson was then chosen by the 
Directors of the Tenth and Eleventh Street 
Passenger Railway Company as Assistant 
Secretary and Treasurer, and so continued 
until the road was leased by the Fifth and 
Sixth Street line. His services were then 
obtained by the Hestonville Passenger Rail- 
way Co., the Lafferty interest then getting 
out, and he was appointed Secretary and 



Treasurer. Then when the Union Passenger 
Railway system took over the Hestonville's 
property, Mr. Benson, who had been sin- 
gularly pursued by corporation absorption, 
was engaged by Wolf Brothers, bankers, to 
make expert investigations of trolley propo- 
sitions in different sections, and his time was 
thus occupied for five years. Ui)on his return 
to the city he changed his residence from 
the I'ifteenth to the Thirty-second Ward, and 
took an interest in politics. .At the inaugura- 
tion of Mayor Reyburn's a<lministration, in 
1907, Mr. Benson was recommended to him 
for the position of Assistant Director of Pub- 
lic A\'orks, and was appointed solely upon his 
qualifications and by reason of his practical 
knowledge gained by his long connection with 
the street car companies. 

Mr. Benson is an eminent Mason, being a 
member of Oliver Lodge. N'o. 617; Harmony 
I'hapter. No. 52; Mary Commandery. No. 6; 
Lu Lu Temple, and the Mystic Shrine; also 
of the Penrose Club. 



Hon. Miles C. Rowland 

Miles C. Rowland, the distinguished State 
Senator, was born in Rowland (named after 
his family). Pike County, Pennsylvania. Sep- 
tember 7, i8-;o, and is consequently m the 
])rime of life. Having first attended the 
])ublic schools in his native township, he sub- 
sequently attended Fort Edward Collegiate 
Institute in .\ew York, and he also took a 
thorough business course at Eastman's Busi- 
ness College, at Poughkeepsie. New York. 
L'pon reaching early manhood, he engaged in 
the business of farming, lumbering, and real 
estate, and has been very sucessful in these 
particular lines of trade and commerce. 

In his early career Senator Rowland was 
appointed postmaster of Rowland, and served 
in this capacity from 1872-97, when he sent 
in his resignation in consequence of his busi- 
ness enterprises being so vast as to re(]uire his 
almost entire attention. The people, quick to 
.grasp the necessity of having capable repre- 
sentatives to fill their offices, Mr. Rowland 
was almost unanimously elected in 1899. the 
County Treasurer. Senator Rowland was the 
Democratic nominee for Congress in 1902-04, 
and he served as delegate to the Democratic 
State conventions in 1904-05, and in addition 
to which he was Congressional confrere upon 
a number of occasions. He was elected to the 
State Senate November, 1906. and it is safe 
to add that the people used their wisdom in 
this selection at least. The Senator is a mem- 
ber of a number of the leading political clubs, 
and is in every way a man who is not only 
esteemed for his capabilities, but for his good 
fellowshii). 



266 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



Harlan Page 

Metallurgist 

Harlan Page, the distinguished mineralogist 
of Philadelphia, comes from an old English 
family which, on the paternal side, has been 
traced back to 1300 in a direct family line. 
Nicholas Page, his grandfather, was born in 




New London, Connecticut, and was promi- 
nently connected with shipping. His father 
was Vyilliam Page, a native of Connecticut, 
and his mother, Emily, was the daughter of 
Caleb Allen of New York. His great ma- 
ternal grandmother lived to be a hundred. 
]\Ir. Page was born May 14, 1854, in Kent, 
Litchfield County, Connecticut, a county which 
has sent many famous men into the world. 
His father was a professor of Greek in Au- 
burn Theological Seminary, and Mr. Page's 
education was directed largely in private 
schools and by private tutors. He began the 
study and investigation of mineralogy and 
metallurgy when he was sixteen, taking a 
special course under private tutors. It had 
a singular fascination for him, and its love 
for it came to him naturally. Mr. Page set- 
tled in Philadelphia in 1H75, and continued his 
investigations in his chosen field. In 1880 
he started in with others in the development 
of the material which has resulted at the 
present day of building up through the Abra- 
sive Material Company of a new natural ele- 



ment so essential in many lines of manufac- 
ture — the emery and corundum wheel, and 
which had been neglected by everybody else. 
It is a great success, because it is a rotary 
file. Air. Page is the perfector of this wheel, 
and he gave to it thirty years of study. The 
Abrasive Material Company, which is now 
the world's leader, is located at Seventieth 
and Seventy-second Streets and the Balti- 
more & Ohio Railroad, and was established 
in 1880. Mr. Page is its Vice-President. He 
is recognized as an authority and expert on 
everything that appertains to abrasives. Mr. 
Page has extended his field to gold mining, 
and is President of the Catawba Gold Mining 
(.'ompany of North Carolina. Mr. Page, 
while hunting for corundum in the mountains 
of North Carolina, discovered one of the rich- 
est auriferous deposits in this country, which 
is now being successfully worked by a com- 
pany with $2,000,000 capital. Mr. Page is like- 
wise heavily interested in a large number of 
mining properties in the various mining States. 
Mr. Page, while a strenuous advocate of good 
government, has never had the time to in- 
terest himself in politics. He is a member 
nf the Union League, the Manheim, the White 
.Marsh, the Valley, and the Philadelphia 
Cricket Clubs. He is a 32d Degree Mason, a 
member of Mitchell Lodge, No. 296, F. & A. 
M. ; Germantown Chapter, No. 20cS, Philadel- 
jiliia Commandery, No. 2; Philadelphia Con- 
sistory, Lu Lu Temple, and is a Shriner. 



High License and How it Came About 

The real story of the circumstances in- 
spiring the author of the High License law 
of Pennsylvania of 1887 and its passage 
through the Legislature, together with that of 
the supplemented law of 1891, has never been 
printed. It is of more than ordinary interest 
and should be preserved for history. Penn- 
sylvania led ofif in the grand march of the 
States in this High Liquor License movement 
and her law has served them as a model. It 
should be stated that Mr. Brooks's original 
act of 1887 raised the fee to $500 for cities of 
the first and second class. In that he is the 
father of High License and his name will be 
associated with it for all time. The subse- 
quent increase by the Legislature of 1891 of 
the fee to $1000 was not brought about by him 
as is the general erroneous impression. The 
credit for this belongs to the late Chris. Magee 
and the Hon. William Flinn, of Pittsburg. 
They were animated in this by a purely selfish 
purpose and financial reasons. It is of interest 
to know, however, that they were bitterly dis- 
appointed and that their purpose was unex- 
pectedly defeated by the action of an Alle- 



Pcnnsxlz'ouici and Its Public Men. 



26: 



gheny County Judge. At this period Mr. 
Flinn, who was the head of a great contract- 
ing firm and of which Magee was a silent 
partner, had built improved roads and con- 
structed many miles of streets which the pul)- 
lic was unable to pay for. the treasuries of 
Pittsburg and Allegheny County being prac- 
tically bankrupt. They had a vast sum of 
money thus tied up and conceived the plan 
that if the liquor license fee was increased to 
$1000 it would replenish the empty treasuries 
and they would thus be enabled to collect the 
indebtedness. And with this rntroduction the 
story can begin. Prior to 1885 the 22d Ward 
of Philadelphia, in which William H. Brooks 
resided and represented in the Legislature, the 
people under special law voted at stated periods 
on the question of Local Option. The condi- 
tions of the retail liquor trade there were 
very bad and it was conducted extremely 
loose. It occurred to Mr. Brooks that there 
should be reform in the manner of selling and 
the business placed upon a more decent and 
orderly footing. At this period there was a 
graduated license system, the size of the fee 
depending upon the amount of the sales. For in- 
stance the fee was $50 on annual sales of $4,000 
or less and was graduated up to a maximum 
of $7^0. There were then 6000 retail places in 
the City and County of Philadelphia and out 
of the entire number there were but forty 
odd that paid in excess of $50. There were 
but two that paid the maximum fee of $750. 
the Continental Hotel and Green's. It was 
notorious that a vast amount of perjury was 
being committed by the liquor dealers. 

A man might have a murder from a drunken 
brawl committed in his saloon and by cause 
of it the court would revoke the license. The 
next day another man could appear at the 
office of the County Commissioners and by the 
payment of $50 secure a new license for the 
place. 

Mr. Brooks says that in looking over the 
laws as then applying to the counties outside 
of Philadelphia and .MIegheny he was im- 
pressed by the fact that licenses were granted 
by the courts. He gathered all the data that 
was obtainable and then consulted a lawyer 
on the legal end. This was Louis D. Vail, 
then the Attorney for the Law and Order 
.Society of Philadelphia, who was well read 
in the law. In conjunction with him Mr. 
Brooks prepared his bill. 

It was introduced early in the House in the 
session of 1885, and was referred to the com- 
mitttee on ways and means. .\fter many 
hearings at which strong antagonism to the 
measure was displayed it was reported with a 
favorable recommendation and largely through 
the effort of Representative Samuel M. 



Wherry of Cumberland County. At the in- 
stigation of George McGowan and Albert 
Crawford. Philadelphia members, the bill was 
placed upon a special calendar. It im- 
mediately preceded the important general 
revenue bill. There was a sharp fight to pre- 
vent its consideration by the House, but it 
was in an excellent position like the French- 
man's bedbug. In the meantime the liquor 
trade began to grow excited over the pos- 
sibilities of its passage and had gotten 
together both in Philadelphia and Pittsburg 
to bring about its defeat. The play of its 
enemies then was to force consideration of the 
general revenue bill first, but this failed and 
the Brooks bill eventually was put upon its 
final passage. It encountered a defeat, re- 
ceiving but eighty-five affirmative votes. The 
liquor trade was jubilant and certain politi- 
cians profited thereby. It may be mentioned 
in passing that Senator Quay was then op- 
posed to the bill as were the other potential 
party leaders. Republicans and Democrats. 

Directly notice was served upon Mr. Brooks 
that he could not be returned to the Legisla- 
ture in order to renew the fight for the bill 
at the next session. lie took pleasure, how- 
ever, in replying that it was his intention to 
be there when the roll was called. Mr. Brooks 
had fixed the fee in his measure at $500 for 
cities of the first and second classes, and the 
liquor trade had made overtures for a com- 
promise on $250. and this he might have ac- 
cepted had not the liquor interest in general 
threatened to make of him "a nightmare of 
the past." as Quay would say. 

Nothwithstanding an unstinted use of 
money and the opposition of the saloons Mr. 
Brooks was returned to the session of 1887 
by an increased majority. Early in that ses- 
sion he re-introduced the now much discussed 
measure. It was referred to the Committee 
on Ways and Means, and promptly reported 
affirmatively back to the House. It passed its 
first reading and a little prior to its coming 
up on second reading there was a meeting 
held in Philadelphia of persons representing 
nearly every religious denomination. Catholics, 
Tews, and Protestants, and reform associa- 
tions. This was conducted with great secrecy, 
there being no newspaper leak and it was par- 
ticipated in by manv prominent and influential 
persons. It was there decided that each de- 
nomination and association should name a 
delegate to go to Harrisburg and call upon 
the Hon. Matthew Stanley Quay who was 
then the State Treasurer, the recognized 
lieutenant of the Camerons and in full control 
of the Legislature. 

The delegation was to arrive at Harrisburg 
on a Tuesday and Mr. Brooks on the Monday 



268 



Pciiiisvk'aiiia ami Its Public Men. 



prior saw Col. Ouay, informed him of the 
coming of the delegation, whom it represented 
and ret|iiested that he meet it. Col. Quay re- 
plied that there was a bill on the House Calen- 
dar, introduced by Mr. Devoe, his member 
from Beaver County, which fixed the fee at 
$250 and was not handicapped with restrictions 
and conditions such as were provided in Mr. 
Brooks's bill. 

"Don't you think w'e had better take that 
one up," suggested Col. Quay. 

Mr. Brooks replied, "If you don't want to 
meet these people who are coming you had 
better get out of town." Quay finally gave 
his assent to meet the delegation and did. 
This was a secret palaver and did not obtain 
publicit)'. Col. Quay sat in characteristic silence 
and listened sphinx like to the arguments in 
the favor of the Brooks bill and at its con- 
clusion gave no promise or made no comment. 

On the following day the bill was up on 
second reading when general debate occurs 
and amendments are in order. In the mean- 
time a surprising change had suddenlv taken 
place as to the attitude of certain members 
who had strenuously been opposing the bill. 
They went to Mr. Brooks and informed him 
that they were with him. Col. Quay had 
given out the "tip" and in this way the author 
of the bill came to know that the Boss had 
been influenced by the secret visit of the Phila- 
delphia delegation to favor it. 

The bill being on second reading, William 
R. Leeds, of Philadelphia, who had had him- 
self elected to the Legislature for the sole 
purpose of attempting to defeat the measure, 
succeeded in having adopted an amendment 
taking from the judges the right of revocation 
of the license and allowing a jury to pass 
upon the question. This was a veritable fire- 
brand to the friends of the measure who stren 
uously opposed it. Mr. Brooks fearful that 
its purpose would be defeated had several of 
its advocates to vote with the majoritv. The 
proposition was also made to the author an!;f 
accepted to include an amendment that the 
license fees in all boroughs and townships 
should be applied to the improvement of the 
roads and this concession secured twenty 
votes for the bill. 

The House adjourned amid much excite- 
ment for the noon recess. The enemies of the 
bill went down town and celebrated the victory, 
which had been achieved bv ex-Sheriff Leeds, 
which thev believed had put it to sleep and 
in the leading bar rooms the champagne corks 
popped and there was great joy and cheer. 
.\t two o'clock the House reconvened and in 
the meanwhile the friends of the pending 
measure had been at work and reformed the 
lines. Immediatelv the motion was made to 



reconsider the vote by which the section con- 
taining the Leeds amendment was adopted. 

The majority of the contingent opposed to 
the bill were still down town celebrating their 
victory of the morning and in blissful ignor- 
ance of what was to happen and some too 
drunk to even realize it anyhow. 

Chief Clerk Charles E. \'orhees, who was 
deeply in the plot to kill the measure, was 
quick to realize the gravity of the situation. 
He sent the page boys scurrying down town 
to bring the absent statesmen back as fast as 
their legs could carry them, "but it was then 
too late. The motion to reconsider was 
adopted. The Leeds amendment was stricken 
out and in order to cinch it the parliamentary 
catch lock of reconsidering the motion by 
which the original section was adopted was 
put on. which prevented it from being voted 
on again. 

The bill subsequently passed the House with 
votes to spare and it was then messaged to the 
Senate. 

Mr. Brooks was then informed that when it 
vi'ould return to the House he would be un- 
able to recognize his own child. However. 
Senator Thomas V. Cooper, the Republican 
leader, was committed to it and the opposi- 
tion was led by Senators John C. Grady and 
George Handy Smith, of Philadelphia. In 
the meantime a w'ar fund of $100,000 had been 
raised by the liquor trade with the object 
of defeating the bill in the Senate. This large 
sum was intrusted to Harry G. Crowell, a 
Philadelphia politician who conveyed it in bills 
of large denomination to Harrisburg in a hand 
satchel. Crowell was too conscientious to 
enact the part of a legislative paymaster and 
in order "to protect himself" and prove to 
his clients that he had put out "the stuff" he 
demanded from the Senators who were pre- 
pared to receive it a written receipt. Upon 
those terms he found it impossible to do busi- 
ness and the bill passed the Senate without 
change and Governor Beaver signed it within 
twenty-four hours after it had been laid upon 
the desk. 

In 1889 the Philadelphia and the Allegheny 
delegations went to Harrisburg pledged for 
a change in the Brooks law, taking the license 
power from the judges and investing it in 
excise commissions in those two counties. 
Thev overlooked the fact, however, that this 
would be unconstitutional since it wotdd be 
special legislation. 

In iSoT there was an intricate bill relating 
to liquor licenses which had pas.sed the Senate 
without exciting notice or comment. It had 
been prepared by Fred Magee, of Pittsburg, 
and who was a pastmaster of the art of bill 
drawing. Mr. Brooks was reading it at his 



Pcinisvlzaiiici and Its Public Men. 



269 



desk ill the House one day when lie sluniUlcd 
to the fact that it proposed to increase the 
license fee from $300 to $1000 in cities of the 
first and second class. While he was thus 
engaged David Martin came along and he 
mentioned this fact to him, "I see that you 
are on to it," said Dave, "but does it make any 
'liflerence to you?" "Not in the least," was 
ilie reply. "Well, then let it go," was Martin's 
answer. As I explained in the introduction 
Chris. Magee and William Flinn had inspired 
this bill raising the license fee in order to 
replenish the shrunken treasuries of Pittsburg 
and Allegheny County so they could collect 
outstanding debts owed them for road and 
street building. 

The bill slipped through the Legislature 
without the liquor trade discovering or awak- 
ing to its importance and thus did the politi- 
cians steal a march on it. 

Judge Steel, of the .-Mlegheny Court, spoiled 
the hope, however, of Flinn and Magee for 
increased revenue from licen.ses by cutting 
down the number of licenses in Pittsburg to 
96. 

Mr. Brooks, the father of High I-icensc. 
was in the City of Pittsburg the night the 
law went into effect and when there was a riot 
and saturnalia of drunkenness ; the knocked 
out saloon keepers pouring beer and whiskey 
into the street gutters and men and abandoned 
women laid down on their bellies and drank it. 
If the mobs had known that he was there and 
they could have reached him they would have 
done him to death. 



William J. Harris 

Police Magistrate 

\\ illiam T. Harris is a member of what is 
known as Col. E. W. Patton's famous "Happy 
Family" of the Twenty-seventh Ward, Phila- 
delphia, and he has been a devoted follower, 
lieutenant, and companion of that popular 
leader for many years. Mr. Harris is a native 
of the Quaker City. He was born in the old 
Seventh Ward, May 21, i860. His father. 
James, was a locomotive engineer on the 
Pennsylvania Railroad, and was killed in what 
was then known as the street road station ac- 
cident. William J. was then but four months 
old. His mother was Jane (Mundell). What 
schooling he received was gotten at the school 
at Twenty-third and Pine Streets. When quite 
a young man Mr. Harris established a milk 
business which grew into an extensive one. 
and in which he was engaged for fourteen 
years. Upon reaching voting age he became 
active in the politics of the Twenty-seventh 
Ward, and he proved his worth to the party 



and was rewarded by an appointment in the 
sheriff's office. He remained in that office 
during the terms of Sheriffs Clement, Crow, 
Hartman, and Miles, the greater portion of 
the time serving as a deputy sheriff. He was 
regarded as the most efficient and humane 
deputy connected with the office, never lending 
his services to the sharps and harpies of 
trade. His political services were recognized 
by the city leaders in 1905, w'ho placed him 




on tile niunici|)al ticket as a candidate for 
police magistrate, and he was elected by a 
majority of 148,000. His rcnomination and 
election in 1910 is already assured. Magis- 
trate Harris is \'ice-President of the West 
Philadelphia Republican Club; is a member 
of the I'ortieth Ward Republican Club; Bel- 
mont Driving Club; Road Drivers' Associa- 
tion; E. Coppee Mitchel Lodge, Xo. 605, F. 
& A. ^L He has been a delegate to a number 
of Republican State Conventions and to the 
conventions of the Republican State League 
of Clubs. He served as a Sergeant at Arms 
.It the Chicago Convention of 1904 that noini- 
nated Roosevelt for President. He is a keen 
lover of good horse flesh, and is regarded as 
an expert judge of both horses and mules. 
He is highly esteemed for his social qualities 
and companionship, and his breezy magnetism 
is the life of any company. Princely in his 
liberality and i)roverbial for his loyalty, there 
are few like him in the politics of Philadel- 
phia. 



270 



Peiinsxlvania and Its Public Men. 



Col. Richard F. Loper 

Richard F. Loper, financier, promoter, and 
insurance expert, comes from an old and lion- 
ored commercial family of Philadelphia. His 
grandfather, Michael, established the first rope 
manufactory in that city, and which, by suc- 
cession, has become the firm of Edwin H. 




Fitler & Co., and is one of the largest plants 
of its kind in the world. Colonel Loper has 
led an extremely busy life, and the scenes 
of his business activities have been both in 
the United States and in Europe. He is a 
native of Philadelphia, born in 1852. His 
education was derived from the public schools 
and the well-known Ruby Academy, a leading 
classical institution of Philadelphia. His 
father was William H., and his mother Annie 
(Weaver) Loper. He began his business ca- 
reer in the naval stores business, and after 
following that with success for several years 
he embarked in insurance, and from that he 
became one of the leading promoters of the 
city. He has put through a large number of 
important deals, and was largely identified 
with speculative Atlantic City real estate. He 
occupies offices in the Real Estate Trust Build- 
ing. Colonel Loper has been an active Re- 
publican from the time of his majority, but 
has neither held public office nor sought it. 
He served as a member of the Board of Port 
Wardens, and was Vice-President of the Re- 



publican City Campaign Committee, and was 
on the staff of the Governor. Colonel Loper 
is a man of large undertakings, and his enter- 
prises are on a broad and comprehensive scale. 
He is devoted to the material progress and 
prosperity of his native city, and is one of 
its most public spirited and patriotic citizens. 
He was one of the original promoters of the 
Philadelphia Bourse, an institution without an 
equal probably in the world, and was active in 
the formation of the Manufacturers' Club. 
He is a member of the Union League, and 
one of the three oldest members of the Phila- 
delphia Skating Club. 

In the early "nineties" Colonel Loper went 
abroad and was engaged in the promotion 
business in England, being a member of the 
firm of W. H. Davis Co., of Winchester 
House, London, up to 1895. He has always 
been a liberal contributor to the campaign 
funds of the Republican party. As an exam- 
ple of his benefactions it can be stated he 
gave $10,000 in cash to the University of 
Pennsylvania to assist in the erection of a 
dormitory which, at his request, was named 
for Joseph Hopkinson, one of the signers of 
the Declaration of Independence, and a rela- 
tive by marriage. Colonel Loper has a large 
and devoted following of personal friends, 
and his social traits makes him the most agree- 
able of companions. 



George J. Roesch 

George J. Roesch has been identified with 
the meat business for a number of years, and 
his name and that of a colossal business in 
his chosen line are synonymous. He comes 
from a family who have spent their lifetime 
in the production of this particular necessity, 
and it is safe to add that no man in the city 
of Philadelphia is held in higher esteem, both 
for himself and for his products, than the 
subject of this sketch. 

Mr. Roesch was born in the Quaker City 
on May 16, 1864, and received his education 
in Philadelphia. He entered into the packing 
and slaughtering business in 1887 when twenty- 
three years of age, and by dint of energy and 
enterprise and by his well directed efforts, 
he has helped build the business to such an 
extent that it ranks as one of the leading 
companies engaged in the business in the 
East. 

Mr. Roesch is now President of the Con- 
solidated Dressed Beef Company, which is 
located at the West Philadelphia Stock Yards, 
and while figures are not at hand as to the 
volume of the business this company does, it 
is a well known and established fact that 



Peiinsvlvaiiia and Its Public Men. 



271 



wherever the products of this company are 
sold, the housewife invariably returns for 
more. 

It is not alone in the meat business that 
Mr. Roesch is so well and favorably known, 




but he is noted for his joviality and sociahilit\ 
among his vast circle of friends who arc 
legion. Mr. Roesch is an enthusiastic and 
practical automobilist, and while he is a busy 
man, yet he finds time during the season to 
devote to his favorite sport. Politics have 
not cut any ice with him. but he is well known 
and respected by all the prominent "Stal- 
warts. " and while he does not lay claim to 
sounding the bugle in the interest of I'hila- 
delphia politics, he has done much in an un- 
ostentatious way to accomplish an amount 
of good for the city. 

Mr. Roesch is a prominent Free and Ac- 
cepted Mason, and a member of the Benevo- 
lent and Protective Order of Elks T-olge, No. 
2. He also belongs to the Manufacturers' 
Club, Columbia Club, and Philadelphia ^'acht 
Club. 



Gen. Willis James Hulings 

Oil City 

Willis J. Hulings, soldier, legislator, and 
mining operator, is one of the most promi- 
nent and active of the citizens of Western 
Pennsylvania. He has been identified with 
the National Guard of the State since l8~6, 
arising from a private to a Rrigadier-General, 
served as a commanding officer in the Span- 
ish-American War. and has been a distin 
guished member of the Legislature of Penn- 
sylvania. He was born in Clarion Cf)unty, 
Pennsylvania, July I, 1X50, and received an 
academic education, after which he stutlied 
law and was admitted to practice in the courts 
of Pennsylvania, and subsequently those of 
West \ irginia and Arizona. His father was 
.Marcus, and his mother Margaret. Mcl^erniott 
.McElwee. With his set up as a lawyer he 
became active as a Republican, and in 1880 
was elected a member of the Legislature from 
X'enango County, and served until iSS,- with 
marked ability, being the siiecial chamijion of 
the independent oil operators, and a strenuous 
champion of the free pipe line bills. L'pon 
his retirement he continued the practice of 




The Jersey justice of the peace to the young 
legal sprig who was quoting the law of the 
Supreme Court of the United States, that he 
didn't propose to go out of the State of New 
Jersey for his law ! 



his iirnu-SMiiii, and m 190O he was elected to 
the State Senate from the Forty-eighth Dis- 
trict, embracing the counties of \'enango and 
Warren, and was re-elected in 1908. While 
an orthodox party man. (ieneral Hulings is a 



272 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



man of independent political action. While a 
member of the House he procured the pas- 
sage of an act to prohibit unjust discrimina- 
tion in freight rates. He enlisted in the Na- 
tional Guard in 1876, serving through various 
grades of Sergeant, Major, and finally, in 
July 17, 1887, was made Colonel of the Six- 
teenth Regiment, which he held until August 
28. 1908. He served at the Pittsburg Rail- 
road Riots of 1877, the Homestead Riots of 
1891, and Walston Riots of 1892. On May 
io, 1898, Colonel Hulings volunteered with his 
entire regiment for service in the Spanish- 
American War, and participated with it in 
General Miles' campaign in Porto Rico. He 
was promoted September 26, 1898, to be Brig- 
adier-General of the 2d Brigade. N. G. P. 
General Hulings has extensive mining inter- 
ests in Mexico which takes him to that coun- 
try frequently, and he has a reputation as a 
mineralogist. 



Ruby R. Vale 



Lawyer and Legal Author 

Ruby R. Vale enjoys the distinction of being 
not only a learned lawyer and able advocate, 
but also one of the most eminent living legal 
authors of Pennsylvania, although he is but 
thirty-five years of age. He is a man of mar- 
velous industry, which is attested by the work 
he has already given to the legal world. He 
inherits his legal abilities, coming from a fam- 
ily of lawyers, his grandfather, father, uncle, 
brother and paternal and maternal cousins all 
being lawyers. He was born at Carlisle, Octo- 
ber 19, 1874, his parents being Joseph Griffith 
and Sarah (Eyster) Vale. Mr. Vale passed 
through the public schools of Carlisle, and 
when a boy served as page in the House of 
Representatives. Fifty-first Congress. He 
then entered the Dickinson Preparatorv School 
and was fitted for Dickinson College, from 
which he graduated in the class of l8g6, re- 
ceiving the degree of .A,.M. Being intended 
for the bar. he took a course in the legal de- 
partment of Dickinson, receiving the degree of 
LL.B. Mr. Vale then went to Delaware as a 
teacher of the classics in the Milford .\cademy. 
Subsequently, he studied law under the direc- 
tion of his father, his uncle. Judge Josiah M. 
Vale, and Congressman Beltzhoover, and was 
admitted to practice at the Cumberland Countv 
bar. Desiring a wider field for his talents. ]\Tr. 
Vale, in 1899. settled in Philadelphia, where 
he at once made a reputation for himself as a 
lawyer whose knowledge of the law was- both 
wide and accurate, and whose legal perception 
is keen ; whose advocacy is clear and con- 
vincing. He was admitted to practice in the 
county. Supreme and Superior Courts of the 
State, the Supreme Court of the United States. 



and the Federal, Circuit and District Courts. 
He has confined his practice exclusively to 
civil and corporation law, and was associated 
with Edward \V. Magill, now Judge of Com- 
mon Pleas Court No. i. Soon after coming to 
Philadelphia Mr. Vale began his career as a 
legal author, and his first work was "The Ele- 
mentary Principles of Pennsylvania Law," in 
two volumes. The Supreme Court values this 
treatise so highly that it has made it essential 
for lawyers to read it before admission to 
practice. He next annt)tated the rules of the 




Superior Court and the Mechanics Lien and 
Negotiable Instruments Laws. These estab- 
lished his reputation as an author, but he con- 
tinued in this field, and next produced a sup- 
plemental volume of Brightley's Digest. Then 
came his monumental work, "Vale's Pennsyl- 
vania Digest," in ten volumes, covering all the 
Pennsylvania decisions up to the present time. 
This digest is considered by the legal profes- 
sion as a masterpiece, an analvtical arrange- 
ment and condensed statement of the deci- 
sional laws of Pennsylvania. Mr. Vale repre- 
sents many large corporations, and has been 
concerned in many suits which have estab- 
lished important principles of the law. He is 
a member of the State Bar Association, Law 
Academy, American Academy of Political and 
Social Science, and the Law .Association. He 
is also a member of the Racquet Club, the Phi 
Kappa Fraternity, the Young Republicans and 
Milford (Del.) Lodge of JVLasons. 



I'ciiiisxk'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



273 



Hon. William A. Andrews 

William A. Andrews, late of Pennsylvania 
and now a political power in the territory of 
Xew Mexico, came into prominence in the 
Republican politics of the Keystone Stale 
imder M. S. Quay's leadership of the organiza- 
tion, who attached him to his service and em- 




ployed him for years as his agent in political 
affairs. He was born at Voungsville, War- 
ren County. January 14. 1842. His paternal 
ancestor fought under the banner of William 
the Conqueror and was knighted for gallantry 
and meritorious services at the Battle of 
Hastings, October 14. 1066. The family name 
was conspicuous in English history thereafter. 
On the mother's side is Puritan stock. The 
first of his /maternal ancestors in this country 
came from the Pilgrims of Massachusetts. 
.\ great grandfather on the mother's side 
served in the Continental .Army. His father. 
Dr. Jeremiah Andrews, born in Ireland and 
educated in Dublin, immigrated when twenty- 
five settling in Warren County, Pennsylvania. 
His mother was the daughter of Dr. Noah 
Weld, one of the oldest families of that coun- 
ty. .\fter the completion of his schooling 
he entered upon a mercantile career and had 
a large store in the city of Cincinnati and 
subsequently removed to Titusvillc. Crawford 
County. Pennsylvania, where he established 
during the oil excitement, the largest depart- 
ment store in Western Pennsvlvania outside 
of Pittsburg. Mr. .\ndrews while active as a 
18 



business man was led into politics by inclina- 
tion and in 1880 was made chairman of the 
Republican County Committee and elected Dr. 
Walter B. Roberts, better known as "Torpedo" 
Roberts, a millionaire of Titusville, to the 
State Senate after one of the most exciting 
political struggles the county ever witnessed. 
Roberts had been implicated in a celebrated 
murder case in the city of Xew ^'ork and this 
figured conspicuously in the Mud Raking Cam- 
l)aign. Mr. .Andrews was twice re-elected 
County Chairman and his work, attracting the 
attention of Simon Cameron and M. S. Quay 
he was made assistant Secretary of the Repub- 
lican .State Committee in 1S87. 

Having gained the complete confidence of 
M. S. Quay, who recognized his political abili- 
ties he was made State Chairman in 1888 and 
again in 1889. In the meantime he was nom- 
inated and elected to the Legislature in 1888 
and was the Republican floor leader at the ses- 
sion of i8go. The Republican party of Craw- 
ford County was faction torn just prior to 
this period, Dr. Roberts heading one and the 
Delamaters, bankers of Meadville. the other. 
Mr. -Andrews had broken with Dr. Roberts 
and given his services to George Wallace 
Dclamater, who aspired to the State Senate 
in 1886 and it was largely through his manip- 
ulation and campaigning that he was elected. 
Mr. .\ndrews served but one term in the 
House, but continued as a legislative agent and 
figured conspicuously in the Pittsburg "Rip- 
per" bills through which Senator Quay sought 
to cripple the hold of his old time enemy, 
Chris. Magee. in the political control of the 
city of Pittsburg and .Allegheny County. In 
1880 Mr. Andrews, who had become an in- 
dividual power in the politics of the State. 
set about securing for Senator Delamater the 
Republican nomination for Governor and per- 
sonally visited nearly every county in the 
state in his interest. He made such headway 
that Quay was compelled to acquiesce in 
■Andrews' plan although he had serious mis- 
givings as to the outcome of the election. It 
has always been understood, however, that 
Quav gave Delamater the gubernatorial nom- 
ination in pavment for $100,000 or a large sum 
which the Meadville banker advanced secretly 
10 him when national chairman in t888 and 
with which he bought John V. McKane and 
his Coney Island vote for Harrison. 

Mr. .Andrews at one time had several fine 
farms in Crawford County in which he took 
great pride. In 1900 he transferred his en- 
ergies to New Mexico and built the Santa Fe 
Central Railroad and in which he was assisted 
by Pittsburg capital. It was finally absorbed 
as Mr. .Andrews had planned by the Santa Fe 
Railway system. His political talents and en- 



274 



Pcjiiisyk'ania and Its Public Men. 



ergies were quickly recognized in the new- 
territory and in 1903-04. he was elected a mem- 
ber of the Territorial Council and in 1906 he 
was elected a delegate to the 59th Congress 
and again to the 60th and 61 st. He has been 
directing his energies to having New Mexico 
admitted to the Union as a State. Mr. 
.•\ndrews is a brother of Wesley R. Andrews, 
Republican State Chairman of Pennsylvania. 



Hon. John F. Keator 

Philadelphia 

John Frisbee Keator throughout his public 
life has been an earnest advocate of civic bet- 
terment and which has inspired him to partici- 
pate actively in movements for the reformation 
of political conditions. Both his voice and 
purse have contributed in this direction. He 
was born on a farm in the Catskill Mountain 
region of Delaware County. New York, April 
16, 1850. His parents were Abram J. and 
Ruth Frisbee. Holland Dutch upon the 
father's side and a strain of Scotch upon the 
mother's. His great-great-grandfather was a 
soldier of the Revolution and whose life was 
taken by the Indians. From a farmer's boy 
he educated himself and at seventeen taught a 
country school to obtain money in order to 
prepare himself for college at Williston Sem- 
inary at Easthampton, Massachusetts. He then 
entered Yale and in 1877 was graduated there- 
from with the degree of B.A. While at Willis- 
ton Seminary he was under the tutorship of the 
afterwards famous Dr. Charles H. Parkhurst, 
the civic righteousness parson of New York. 
He also took there the first prize for excellence 
in oratory. Coming to Philadelphia, Mr. 
Keator took a course in the Law Department 
of the University of Pennsylvania and in 1879 
obtained the degree of LL.B. In that same 
year he was admitted to the bar of Philadel- 
phia. He sprang into an immediate civil prac- 
tice and in 1888 became associated with J. S. 
Freeman, the firm having offices at 400 Chest- 
nut street. In 1890 he was admitted to prac- 
tice in the Supreme Court of the United 
States and served on the examining board for 
the admission of students to the bar. In 1896 
when the Republican party became embroiled 
in a conflict within itself he became active in 
politics as a Republican and was selected as 
the candidate for the Legislature of the Busi- 
ness Men's League of the 22d ward and which 
had entered into the State wide movement for 
the political destruction as a boss of Quay. 

This nomination came to Mr. Keator as a 
complete surprise and after an exciting cam- 
paign he was elected bv 800 majority, running 
2000 ahead of his ticket. He took a high posi- 
tion in the Legislature as a debater and ad- 



vocate of the better class of legislation. He 
was made attorney for the special committee 
appointed upon the part of the House to in- 
vestigate the cause and effect of the mysterious 
fire which destroyed the old State Capitol. He 
took a leading ])art in support of the bills to 
abolish the Public Buildings Commission and 
to require banks to pay interest on State de- 
posits. Mr. Keator was re-elected to the 
legislative session of 1900 by an increased 
majority and took a leading part in its exciting 
proceedings. He could have obtained the 




nomination for State Senator and was men- 
tioned as a popular candidate for Receiver of 
Taxes. Mr. Keator was for two years the 
master of Harmony Lodge, F. & A. M. and 
is a member of Harmony Chapter and 
Corinthian Commandery. He was a charter 
member of the Young Republicans, belongs 
to the Young Republican Club of German- 
town, the University Club, Lawyers' Club, the 
Pennsylvania Bar Association and Psi Upsilon 
Fraternity. He is a lover of good horse flesh 
and for years it has been his practice to take 
a coaching trip to the Catskill Mountains to 
visit the old homestead. Mr. Keator owns a 
splendid estate in Montgomery County where- 
on he indulges in his favorite occupation of 
thoroughbred stock raising am! high class 
farming and where he entertains lavishly. Mr. 
Keator maintains offices in the Stephen Girard 
Building, Philadelphia. 



Pciiiis\h'a)iia and Its Public Men. 



_'/n 



Charles Robinson 

Scranton 

Charles Robinson is one of the ])roniincnt 
citizens and business men of the City of Scran- 
ton. and was born April it, 1835. The name 




of Robinson has been associated with its brew- 
ing industry even before the time it began to 
take on the airs of the metropolis of the 
anthracite coal regions, two families of the 
name being engaged in it. Mr. Robinson was 
born in Scranton. his father. Jacob, being a 
brewer and the founder of the present plant. 
Having passed through the public schools, his 
education was completed in Xew York City 
and at the Military .Academy at College Point, 
I^ng Island. In 1876 Mr. Robinson joined his 
father and brother. .Augustus, in business, and 
is now associated with the lattT. and is Presi- 
dent of the Peimsylvania Central Brewing 
Company. He is also President of the Para- 
dise Rrook Trout Hatcheries, and of the 
Canadian Telegraph and Telephone Company 
of Ottawa, the latter being a corporation 
largclv of his own creation and con-truction 
Mr. Robinson has been actively identified with 
the democracy of Scranton and L-ickawanna 
County for many years. In 1802 he was 
elected Sheriff, and becoming the Democratic 
leader of the county, acuitred a State-wide 
reputation. He was elected a delcgate-at-large 
to the Chicago Xational Convention of 1892. 



and voted for Cleveland against David B. Hill. 
During the term of I'resident Cleveland Mr. 
Robinson dispensed the I'ederal patronage for 
Lackawanna. At the Democrats State Con- 
vention of 1892 Mr. Robinson received the 
nomination for State Treasurer, but could not 
lie induced to accept it. Mr. Robinson is a 
thirty-second degree Mason, a membi-r of the 
Schiller Lodge of Scranton. Keystone Consis- 
tory and the Lulu Temple of I'hihulel|)hia. He 
is a charter and life member of the Elks No. 
123. and of ditl'erent social organizations of 
his citv. 



Leopold Fuerth 

Honesdale 

Leopold I'uerth. one of the most popular of 
the Democratic members of the Legislature, is 
a business man who finds enjoyment in political 
life. He is a native of Bohemia, where he 
was born February i. 1848. His father. Dr. 
William Fuerth. a distinguished physician, and 
his mother, Jcnnette .Swartzkoff. were likewise 
I'.ohemiati born. Mr. I~uerth received his edu- 
cation in the public schools of his native town, 
and the High School of Prague. He emigrated 




to the LlllKni .^i.m^ jii 1 1^* ' V \\n(li iiilci^'ti 

years of age, and lived in Xew York and New- 
ark. K. J., until 1868. when he took up his 
residence in Port Jcrvis. X. Y.. and established 
himself in the wholesale litjuor business. He 



276 



Pcuiisxhaiiia and Its Public Men. 



there became active in tlie town's affairs, and 
held several local public positions, including 
Chief of the Fire Department. In 1875 Mr. 
Fuerth removed his business to Honesdale. 
which has grown to be one of the most im- 
portant of its kind in that section. He identi- 
fied himself with the Democratic party, and 
for several years has wielded an influence in 
its affairs in Wayne County. He was nomi- 
nated and elected to the Legislature in 1900 
and in 1904. Wayne County is exceedingly 
close, politically, and frequently goes Republi- 
can, but Mr. Fuerth's popularity always pulls 
him through. In T906 he again became a can- 
didate for the Legislature and was elected, 
although the county went for Stuart for Gov- 
ernor, and he was re-elected in 1908, although 
it went for Taft. Mr. Fuerth is a member of 
the Odd Fellows and Knights of Honor. 



Hon. John B. Robinson 

John F). Robinson has picturesquely figured 
in the politics of the State and is better known 
by his sobriquet of "Fighting Jack." When 
he was more actively in the saddle I gave him 
the sobriquet of the "Dashing Sheridan of 
Pennsylvania politics." Lie lost the Republi- 
can leadership of Delaware County about 1900 
through the rise of the late William B. 
Mathues, but upon the death of the latter in 
1909 his star of leadership again rose in the 
ascendant and probably 1910 will witness his 
restoration to his old seat in Congress. Mr. 
Robinson was born in Allegheny City, May 23, 
1846. He came from North of Ireland Pres- 
byterian stock on both sides. His father. 
William O'Hara Robinson, served as United 
States District Attorney for the Western Dis- 
trict of Pennsylvania in 1840 and his paternal 
grandfather. General William Robinson, who 
also served in the Pennsylvania Legislature, 
was the first Mayor of Allegheny City and 
first president of the Exchange Bank of Pitts- 
burg. He was a U. S. Commissioner in 1842 
and authorized to borrow five millions for 
the government abroad, but failed owing to the 
nation's low financial credit. General Robin- 
son's grandfather enjoved the distinction of 
being the first white child born west of the 
Ohio River. John B. Robinson had excellent 
educational advantages and was prepared for 
the Western L-niversity and subsequently he 
was graduated from Amherst College. In 1862 
when the Civil War was raeing. although but a 
vouth, he attached himself to Capt. Riddle's 
Company of the 15th Pennsylvania Emergency 
Regiment and in 1864 he was discharged 
through the influence of his grandfather. Gen. 
Robinson, as two older brothers were then at 



the front with Grant's Army and one was 
killed at the Battle of the Wilderness. He 
was then appointed a midshipman in the Navy 
by Congressman Thomas Williams and was 
graduated from the Annapolis Academy in 
1868. He remained in the Navy going through 
all the grades of promotion to lieutenant when 
in 1875 hs resigned to enter upon the study of 
law. 

During his eleven years service he visited 
almost every country in the world and cir- 
cumnavigated the globe in the flagship 




Colorado which L>ure the pennant of the late 
Rear .\dmiral John Rodgers. With Comman- 
der J. C. Watson and a company of naval 
officers he was one of the second party ad- 
mitted to an audience with the Mikado of 
Japan. In 1873 he served on the northern 
lakes on the LT. S. steamer Michigan and in the 
fall of that year was ordered as watch officer 
to the Sloop Juniata when Secretary of the 
Navy. Robeson, under sealed orders directed 
her commander, D. L. Braine, to proceed to 
Santiago de Cuba and peremptorily demand 
the surrender of American citizens who had 
been seized on the steamer V'irginius and 
which episode brought the United States and 
.Spain close to war. Mr. Robinson was pre- 
pared for the bar in the offices of John G. 
Johnson, and in 1876 was admitted to the 
Philadelphia Courts. 

In 1878 he removed to Delaware County 
and was admitted to practice there and in the 



rciiiisvhviiia and Its I'liblic Men. 



Supreme Court. He achieved fame by his 
ability and persistence in the cause celebre, 
that of Samuel Johnson, a negro accused of 
the murder of I'"arnier Samuel Sharpless, 
finally securing his freedom through the 
Board of Pardons. In 1884 he was elected to 
the Legislature and re-elected in 1886 and in 
1888 he was elected to the State Senate and 
again in 1900. He was conspicuous as a bril- 
liant debater and legislator. In 1894 Mr. 
Robinson was elected to the 52d Congress 
and was re-elected to the 54th and was then 
retired owing to the claim of Chester County 
to the seat. Mr. Robinson in 1896 was elected 
president of the State League of Republican 
clubs over the Hon. John B. Dalzell, which 
was a contest that attracted the attention of 
the State. He was appointed United States 
Marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsyl- 
vania by President Roosevelt. Mr. Robinson 
is a man of fine literary taste and a writer of 
reputation. During his cruise around the 
world he contributed a brilliant series of letters 
which were printed in the Commercial Gazette 
of Pittsburg. He is the owner and editor of 
the Media Record and is a man of charmins; 
personality, of varied knowledge and a poli- 
tician born. 



William S. Douglas 

Contractor 

William S. Douglas represents a name that 
has been conspicuous in the contractor's world 
of Philadelphia for more than a quarter of a 
century, and is intimately connected with the 
construction of the City Hall of that city, 
the finest as well as the largest municipal 
building in the world. Equally is he well 
known in its political history, as he has been 
identified with the affairs of the Republican 
party for thirty-eight years. He was born in 
Philadelphia on October 2. 1846. and received 
his education in the public schools, and was 
then apprenticed to the trade of stone cutting 
in the well-known establishment of Edward 
Cireble. Finishing his trade and the Civil 
War being in progress, he enlisted and served 
in the United States Xavy, although he had 
not yet attained his majority. 

After working for some years as a journey- 
man at his trade. Mr. Douglas entered into 
the contracting business with his brother. 
Joseph, under the firm title of the Douglas 
Brothers. A work that made them famous 
and will live for centuries as their monument 
was the construction of the four hanging mar- 
ble stairways in the corners of the City Hall, 
which have excited the admiration of the en- 
gineers and architects of the world, and are 



one of the sights of the city. The firm w'as 
one of the most successful in its time, prose- 
cuting both public and |)rivate work, and was 
terminated in 1901 by the death of the elder 
brother, Joseph. 

Mr. Douglas is still engaged in general con- 
tract work. His activity in politics as a Re- 
publican led to his election to the Legislature 
in 1874, and he was re-elected in 1876 from 
the First Ward, where he divided the honors 
of party leadership with .\mos ]\L Slack. In 
1878 !Mr. Douglas received the nomination for 
City Commissioner, in which office he re- 




mained for nine years, having two re-elec- 
tions. It was while he was a commissioner 
that the radical change in the ballot system 
in Philadelphia was put into effect by the 
adoption of the Australia ballot with its vot- 
ing booths and complicated machinery, and 
which change was made under the direction 
of the City Commissioners. Mr. Douglas is 
an enthusiastic and ])rofessif)nal siiortsman 
with gun and rod. and for years has inain- 
tained a club house at Charlestown. on the 
shores of the Chesapeake Bay. which has been 
the resort of noted politicians and sijortsmcn, 
while he is also identified with a sporting pre- 
serve on the coast of Xorth Carolina. Mr. 
Douglas is connected with a number of polit- 
ical clubs, including the First Ward, the 
.Arthur Morrow, the Penrose and the Twen- 
tieth Ward Republican Clubs, the William R. 
Leeds .Association and the Tew-elers' Club. 



278 



Pciinsvk'auia ami Its Public Men. 



Peter Carrigan 

Highway Commissioner 

Peter Carrigan is one of the most active 
Republicans of the Twenty-sixth Ward, Phil- 
adelphia, and prides himself as always having 




been a stalwart. He was born in Philadelphia, 
September 2, 1854, the year of the native 
American riots, his father being Peter, and 
his mother Nancy Carrigan. His education 
was derived in the public schools. He had 
commercial employment until about 1880, 
when his activity in politics secured for him 
a position in the Point Breeze Gas Works, 
which then was a political institution under 
the control of the (_;as Trust. He began as a 
fireman, and was promoted to a foremanship. 
He then became connected with the Water 
Department as a foreman, working as such 
for a considerable time. Through the influ- 
ence of Congressman Bingham Mr. Carrigan 
received an appointment in the United States 
Mint, and later on was made captain of the 
holiday and Sunday watch. Upon the re- 
organization of the Highway Bureau, in 1907, 
having passed a civil service examination, he 
was made an Assistant Commissioner of High- 
ways, a position which he is admirably quali- 
fied to fill by reason of his long experience. 
He is one of the Republican organization lead- 
ers of the Twenty-sixth Ward, and in 1884 
took his seat as a member of the Ward Ex- 
ecutive Committee, his career in that body 



extending over thirty years, ten of which he 
served as chairman of it. He is an active 
spirit in the Twenty-sixth Ward Republican 
Club, and a director of it. He has been 
elected a delegate to the Republican State 
League of Clubs' Conventions for nine con- 
secutive years. He is a man of many enjoy- 
able qualities, which makes him a prime 
favorite with a large circle of friends. He 
is a member of the Loyal Order of Moose, 
Philadelphia Lodge. No'. 54, L. O. O. M., 
and the Point Breeze Relief Association. 



Joseph Call 

Police Magistrate 

Joseph Call is a political institution of Phil- 
adelphia, and since 1888 he has been in 
politics on the Republican party's firing line. 
He is widely known throughout the State 
through his long connection with the Legis- 
lature and his attendance upon many Republi- 
can State conventions as a delegate. Mr. 
Call was born in 1857, reared, married, and 
has lived all his life in the same neighbor- 
hood in the Twentieth Ward. His schooling 




was meager, and he was early put to the trade 
of a painter, which he pursued when not leg- 
islating at Harrisburg until elected a police 
magistrate in 1908. Mr. Call is a thorough 
master of his trade, and is particularly noted 
for his taste in colors and genius for design- 



Feiinsvlvaiiia and Its Public Men. 



279 



ing as a decorative painter. He was for some 
years the master painter of the United States 
Mint, and for fifteen years filled the position 
of boss painter of the City Hall. He has left 
splendid monuments of his skill in the City 
Hall, notably the Mayor's reception room and 
Court Room Xo. 5. Mr. Call has been a 
member of the Twentieth \\'ard Republican 
Executive Committee for twenty-two years, 
and the continuous president of the Twentieth 
Ward Republican Club for many years. He 
is a thirty-second degree Mason, member of 
the Red Men, an Odd Fellow, a Knight of the 
Cioiden Eagles and the Painters" Union. Dur- 
ing his career he has served as a constable, 
and in 1900 was elected to the Legislature and 
remained a member of that body until 190S. 



Charles E. Connell 

Charles E. Conncll's family name has been 
associated with the politics of Philadelphia 
and the State of Pennsylvania for over half 
a century. His grandfather, George Connell, 
was a distinguished State Senator, and his 
father, Horatio P., was also a member of the 
Legislature and afterward High Sheriff of 
Philadelphia. He, himself, now shares with, 
but a single other, the distinction of the long- 
est service as a member of the Common Coun- 
cil of Philadelphia. Mr. Connell was born 
in Delaware County in proximity to the city 
line, September 16. 1862. On the paternal 
side there is an admixture of Irish and Ger- 
man, and the maternal is English, his mother 
being a daughter of William Laj'cock who 
was prominently identified with the marble 
business of Philadelphia. His great-great- 
grandfather Connell was a sea captain. It is 
told of him that while a lad at sea the crew 
of his vessel were taken down by the yellow 
fever, the captain dying, and that he suc- 
ceeded in working the craft into port. Her 
owners rewarded him by making him captain 
of the vessel. Another relative, John Connell. 
of Delaware, in 1852 published a volume of 
biographical sketches of the noted practical 
mechanics of the world. His grandfather. 
Senator Connell. was the founder, in 1855. of 
Mt. Moriah Cemetery, comprising 225 acres, 
and located partially in Philadelphia and Dela- 
ware counties, and is one of the most beauti- 
ful of "the cities of the dead." It is now 
directed by his brothers, George and Joseph. 
Horatio, his brother, the youngest of a family 
of nine sons, is a celebrated bass-baritone, 
and for some years has been a member of the 
concert company singing at Covent Garden, 
London. Charles E. was educated in the Pas- 
chalville School and at Lauderback's Acad- 
emy. Phil.id.Iphi.T He then assisted his 



father in the conduct of Mount Moriah Ceme- 
tery. He entered politics in the Twenty- 
seventh Ward, and was a devoted follower of 
Elwood Rowan, and after his death supported 
the galfallon of Col. E. W. Patton. His 
first political ai)poinInicnt was to a clerkship 
under Mayor Williatn B. Smith, and he sub- 
seciuentiy held a similar position under Sher- 
iff Rowan. For twelve years he has served 
as a real estate assessor, and is regarded as 
an expert on realty valuations, lie received 
his first nomination for Common Council in 




1892, and was elected on the same ticket 
with Capt. John Walton, now Comptroller, 
and J. Warner Goheen. He served three 
terms, representing the Twenty-seventh Ward, 
and when the Fortieth was created from it. 
in 1898, Mr. Connell was sent from the new 
ward and has represented it continuously 
since. He is Chairman of the Committee on 
Municipal Government. He has been ex- 
tremely active and successful in securing from 
City Councils improvements for his section 
and for which the voters hold him in high 
esteem. Among them may be mentioned 
Cobb's Creek Park and Parkway, embracing 
fifty acres, the George Coimell Park at Sixty- 
fifth and Homewood .K venue, and named in 
honor of his grandfather, and the Passyunk 
Avenue Bridge over the Schuylkill. Mr. Con- 
nell has always been a stalwart Republican 
and prides himself that he has never wavered 
in his allegiance to the organization. In the 



280 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



great contest in 1906 for the control of City 
Councils, he voted for Jacob Henderson for 
President of Common branch as ag^ainst 
Thomas Armstrong, reformer, who was se- 
cretly and openly supported by certain Re- 
publican leaders. Mr. Connell is a member 
of Meridian Sun Lodge, F. & A. M. ; Orien- 
tal Chapter and Kadosh Commandery, For- 
tieth Ward and West Philadelphia Republican 
Clubs. He was active in the old Republican 
Invincibles, and has been a delegate to a 
number of Republican State Conventions. 



Dr. James Monroe Munyon 




Dr. James M. Munyon is a celebrity whose 
name is familiar wherever the English tongue 
is spoken. The medicines and remedies 
which bear his name go to all parts of the 
civilized world, and are now acknowledged as 
standards and have a fixed place in popular 
esteem. Dr. Munyon is a man of marked and 
distinctive individuality, and of indomitable 
energy, which has made him one of the 
world's leaders and a "man of affairs." He 
is of New England birth, having been born 
August 3, 1847, and in the early "eighties" 
made Philadelphia his new home. He began 
his business life in that city as the editor and 
publisher of the Labor World when the 
Knights of Labor were in their flower, and 
subsequentl)' drifted into other lines, notably 



as the proprietor of large employment agen- 
cies. He later turned his attention to the 
world of medicine, and was able to obtain the 
assistance of capital with which to place his 
remedies upon the market. He became one 
of the earth's largest advertisers, and his suc- 
cess was almost instantaneous and marvelous. 
He purchased formulas for preparations for 
human ailments from some of the foremost 
physicians of this and other countries, and at 
great cost, and which have given them great 
reputations. Dr. Munyon maintains a large 
laboratory at Thirty-third and Jefferson 
Streets, Philadelphia. He is noted as a 
speaker, and is a man of wide information 
and varied reading. Dr. Munyon takes a 
keen delight in the enjoyment of the wealth 
that his enterprise has brought to him, and 
has a winter home in the South and a sum- 
mer one on the St. Lawrence River. He is 
a devoted vachtsman and home lover. 



Patrick J. Duffey 

Philadelphia 

Patrick J. Duffey is one of those kindly and 
geniality infecting souls who make the world 
all the brighter for their living in it. Univer- 
sally known in his native city of Philadelphia, 
he counts his friends by the legion. He pos- 
sesses the characteristic wit antl sang froid of 
the race which makes him charming as a com- 
])anion and his company much sought. Mr. 
Duffey was born in Philadelphia in 1838. his 
l)arents being Hugh and Elizabeth Duffey. 
The education he received he obtained in the 
public schools. His earlier life was devoted 
to mercantile pursuits and was without public 
interest. Taking naturally to politics as a 
Republican he has for a number of years been 
the leader of the i6th division of the loth 
ward and its representative in the Republican 
ward executive committee. He is a devoted 
and enthusiastic follower of State Senator 
James P. McNichol and he is noted for his 
party stalwartism. In 1892 he received the 
appointment of inspector for the Philadel- 
phia Rapid Transit Company with his office 
at 20th and South streets and which position 
he still occupies with great credit to himself 
and possessing the full confidence of his em- 
ployers. Mr. Duffey is one of the active 
spirits of the William R. Leeds .Association, 
and although repeatedlv solicited to accept 
responsible office under it. has always declined. 
Also in politics he has been tendered place in 
the public service, and declined, preferring 
private emplovment wherein he could enjoy 
more freedom and independence of individual 
action. 



Pciiusxl7'aiiia ami Its Public Men. 



281 



William Stuart Reyburn 

William S. Kcyluirn is a native of I'liila- 
ilclphia. having been horn Dccenihcr 17, 1882. 
at his father's present residence, Xo. 1822 
Spring Garden Street. His mother was Mar- 
garet Crozier: his grandfather was the late 




W. S. Reyhurn. Sr., former President of Se- 
lect Coimcils of that city. 

His father, the Hon. John E. Reyhurn, has 
been distinguished in the public life of Penn- 
sylvania, having been a member of the Legis- 
lature, House, and Senate, member of Con- 
gress, and in 1907 was elected Mayor of Phil- 
adelphia. 

Mr. Reyburn received his early education 
in Washington, D. C. and under private 
tutors; later he went to Hill School, the Uni- 
versity School at Pottstown, and then entered 
the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale, from 
which he graduated with the Class of 1904. 
.\fter leaving college he traveled for one year 
abroad and was a member of the now famous 
Taft party to the Philippines. Returning to 
Washington he took up the study of law at 
the Columbia University, wdiich he continued 
for two years, finally taking one year at the 
Law School of the University of Pennsylva- 
nia. During the past two years Mr. Reyburn 
has spent much of his time abroad, studying 
the customs and laws of the different coun- 
tries. In 1908 he was elected a member of 



the Legislature from the Fifteenth Ward as 
a Republican, being of the same age and the 
same office that his father started his career. 
Mr. Reyburn is an ardent lover of outdoor 
sports. Lie spends his recreation playing golf, 
a game in wliicli he is very apt, having won 
many championships in various tournaments 
in the country. ^Ir. Reyburn has a quiet, 
modest manner, with a keen sense of humor; 
he is very literary and spends much of his 
time reading history. Mr. Reyburn's most 
prominent bill in the session of the Legisla- 
ture of 1909, was one authorizing the pay- 
ment of State pensions to soldiers, sailors, and 
marines from Pennsylvania in the W^ar of 
the Rebellion. 



Hon. Elliot Rodgers 

Allegheny 

1111 iot Rodgers comes from an old and dis- 
tinguished family stock of Allegheny County, 
Pennsylvania. Since his admission to the bar 
of that county in 1887, he has been an active 
spirit in its public affairs as well as of those 
of .Mleghcny City, where he was born, De- 
cember 12, 1865. He was enabled to receive 
an excellent education at private institutions. 
Possessing the inclination and a natural apti- 
tude for the law, he applied himself to its 
study under the tutelage of one of the leading 
lawyers of Allegheny City. Immediately upon 
his admission to practice, Judge Rodgers re- 
ceived an appointment in the corporation 
bureau of the Secretary of the Commonwealth 
under the Hon. Charles W. Stone, his activity 
in local politics as a Republican entitling him 
to the place. This was a good school for a 
young lawyer, as the corporation laws of the 
.State are intricate and in which he did not 
fail to profit. He remained in the State De- 
partment until the beginning of 1S90. when 
lie resigned, and, returning to Allegheny City, 
resumed the active practice of his profession, 
and in which he met with much success. In 
the meantime his influence in the Republican 
party steadily increased, and in 1S96 he was 
elected solicitor for the city and was twice 
re-elected. It was while he was serving his 
third term when, in February, 1901, he was 
appointed by Gov. William .-X. Stone as Judge 
of Common Pleas Court. Xo. 2, of .Allegheny 
County, to fill a vacancy, and in the fall of 
that year he was elected to the full term of 
ten years. He resigned the judgeship March 
I, 1905, to become the counsel for one of the 
largest corporations in Western Pennsylvania, 
and to again take up the active practice of the 
law. In 1906 Judge Rodgers was elected froin 
the Forty-second District to the State Senate 
of Pennsylvania, and in which body he is a 
conspicuous and influential member. Judge 



282 



Pciinsyhania and Its Public Men. 



Rodgers enjoys the confidence of Senator 
Boies Penrose to an unlimited extent, and it 
can be said of him that he is one of the really 
big men of Western Pennsylvania. 



Samuel Laughlin 

City Superintendent of Charities 

Samuel Laughlin is the Superintendent of 
Philadelphia's vast almshouse and hospital, 
which has a population of many thousands. 




he being the active head of the Bureau of 
Charities under the Department of Public 
Health and Charities. He is noted for his 
executive ability and high business qualifica- 
tions which are essential to a successful ad- 
ministration of his important post. Mr. 
Laughlin is a native Philadelphian and is of 
Scotch ancestry. He was born in the Nine- 
teenth Ward of that city September 13, 1851, 
his father. John, being a well-known business 
man of that section. Mr. Laughlin's parents 
were able to bestow upon him an excellent 
education, and after passing through the pub- 
lic schools he was sent to the New Jersey 
Military Academy at Bordentown, where he 
was prepared for Lafayette College, and from 
whicii he graduated in 1874, having taken a 
scientific course. His first employment was 
with the Clyde Steamship Company, and he be- 
came a master engineer of marine vessels in 



connection with the company's fleet of steam- 
ers sailing from the port of Philadelphia. He 
remained with this company for several years, 
and then became the manager of a large mer- 
cantile establishment, which had his services 
for eighteen years or until he was appointed 
Superintendent of the Bureau of Charities. 
Mr. Laughlin has been an active Republican 
for many years, although never a candidate 
for an elective office. He is a thirty-second 
degree Mason, a member of the Odd Fellows, 
Red Men, Knights of Pythias, Knights of the 
Golden Eagle, American Protestant Associa- 
tion, of the West Philadelphia Republican 
Club, and he is an Elk. 



The Campaign of 1878-1888 which Made 

Matthew Stanley Quay Famous as 

a Political Napoleon 

The national campaign of 1884 proved that 
the Democratic party could no longer rely on 
the Irish Catholic vote as a unit. Quay, ever 
quick to take advantage of an opening in the 
lines of the enemy, knew from his own ex- 
perience in Pennsylvania the advantage of 
holding, for Harrison, the legion of Irish- 
American voters that flocked to Blaine, at 
least that portion of them that remained loyal 
after the Burchard "Rum, Romanism and Re- 
bellion" incident. How was he to know that 
he could hold or add to the number remain- 
ing loyal since 1884? In Pennsylvania he had 
a lieutenant in the person of Capt. John C. 
Delaney. then Librarian of the State Senate. 
Delaney he knew to be most loyal and devoted 
to him and the Republican cause; besides he 
was the "John in the Wilderness" who, for 
vears, had successfully pleaded with the young 
Irish Catholic element to leave the Demo- 
cratic party and emulate the Germans by di- 
viding their votes between the two great par- 
ties. Delaney's arguments were of the most 
convincing kind. He proved to his young 
friends that an Irishman as a Democrat was 
only good enough to vote the ticket, but rarely, 
if ever, good enough to hold an office. He 
pointed to the records of the two parties for 
proof of his claim, citing the case of Judge 
James Campbell, of Philadelphia, the Catholic 
on the Democratic ticket for a place on the 
Supreme bench, defeated by a big majority, 
while all his American colleagues were elected 
by very large majorities: and coming down to 
his own time, showed how "Dan Barr," of 
Pittsburg, and James Nolan, of Lancaster, 
were slaughtered in Pennsylvania on the Dem- 
ocratic ticket, and how Irish Catholics like 
General Carr, of New York, on the Republi- 
can State ticket, were elected when all their 



Pennsxlvania and Its Public Men. 



283 



colleagues were defeated. In our own State, 
in counties like Luzerne, it was most rare that 
an Irish Catholic could win in the old days, 
while the first two Irish Catholics nominated 
by the Republicans on the Legislative ticket 
in Luzerne and Lackawanna, John F. Mc- 
Mahon and John K. Barrett, were triumph- 
antly elected. But Delancys best trump card 
in all his arguments was, that the real "Know 
Nothing" party was Democratic and not Re- 
publican, and his argument on this point was 
based absolutely on history. He proved that 
the "Know Xothing" movement found birth in 
Louisiana and spread from one Democratic 
state to another, until every southern state was 
permeated with the doctrine, Maryb-jud being 
the last State to let go the movement. It was 
this knowledge which, in 1878. sent him on his 
famous secret mission to Maryland, where he 
unearthed the complete record of A. H. Dill's 
"Know Nothing" affiliations. 

Delaney was largely indebted for his first 
political appointment, under Hartranft, to 
Gen. Henry M. Hoyt. of Luzerne, and he 
never let up, during his six years with Hart- 
ranft. until he won from the leaders their 
consent to Hoyt's nomination for Governor. 
Early in the campaign for Hoyt's election, 
Delaney discovered that .\ndy Dill would de- 
feat him unless something turned up to put 
the Democracy on the defensive, hence he was 
ever on the alert for that something. It 
turned up in just the right time in the shape 
of a charge by the York Republican, then 
edited by Major McXair, that Dill was an 
active "Know Nothing'' during the time that 
movement was rampant in the State of Mary- 
land. Delaney only needed a hint to send him 
on the war path, and to quote the language of 
Quay, who that year began his skyrocket po- 
litical career as chairman of Hoyt's campaign, 
"Delaney disappeared as if the earth had 
opened and swallowed him. For a whole 
week I could get no trace of him ; all his 
friends, except McNair, thought he had been 
gotten away with by the Democrats, as Mc- 
Clure was hounding him in the Philadelphia 
Times, and the other Democratic papers 
throughout the State were hot after him in 
every issue. Hoyt became alarmed, as he 
counted on Delaney to look after his interest 
in the coal regions. Delaney's mother was al- 
most distracted and pleaded with me to find 
her boy. But I had faith in him. I knew how 
well able he was to take care of himself, as 
he never departed from his strict rule of tem- 
perance, and I knew his whole heart was 
wrapped up in Hoyt. .At the end of a week 
he walked into headquarters, on Chestnut 
Street, loaded to the muzzle with the strong- 
est possible proof of Dill's active connection 
with the 'Know Nothing" party in Maryland 



during the life of that organization. No law- 
yer ever went into court with a more com- 
plete and unanswerable proof against a de- 
fendant. Among other things he had I can 
recall a bundle of papers called the Banner 
of Liberty, which was the official organ of 
the 'Know Nothing' in Maryland, and in each 
copy was an editorial aufl other reference to 
Dill's speaking and organizing of the Know 
Nothings. While the Banner of Liberty's 
evidence was sufficient proof to satisfy me, I 
knew there was a great army of doubting 
Thomases in the State, and so I remarked to 
Delaney that while the papers furnished am- 
ple proof to satisfy me, the doubters would 
naturally say that the Democratic candidate 
was not the same man, and .so it would prove 
a weak case to go to the people with. He 
instantly drew from his pocket six affidavits 
from six of the most prominent men in that 
part of Maryland, each recognizing the An- 
drew H. Dili, 'the now Democratic candidate 
for Governor of Pennsylvania,' as the same 
man who had delivered speeches, organized 
lodges, wrote the bitter editorials on 'Jesuit- 
ism in .America,' and led a committee to the 
Catholic College of Mount St. Marv's, at 
F,!nmittsburg, and searched that institution for 
alleged imported arms from France for the 
purpose of shooting down native .Americans. 
Of the six affidavits I set greatest value on 
one made by a Captain McBride of the col- 
lege, who was most bitter in his denunciation 
of the Democratic nominee, as he went 
through the college from cellar to garret with 
the Dill committee, McBride saying, among 
other things, that he could forgive the hot 
headed men if they had apologized to the 
president of the college when they foimd 
there were no arms of any kind save those 
through which human blood flowed. On the 
contrary, they were most arrogant and dis- 
respectful in their manner. On reading Cap- 
tain ?ifcBride's affidavit, T remarked to De- 
laney that I would give $10,000 for ten lines 
in a Catholic paper, to which he promptly 
replied. '\\'hy do that? T can get you ten 
limes ten for nothing.' I told him to sro 
ahead and at any price secure a Catholic 
naner to make the charge against Dill. He 
left me and was back in two hours with the 
delightful news that the owners of the Catlio- 
lie Standard, the then official organ of the 
archdiocese of Philadelphia, had consented 
to make a most vigorous editorial attack on 
Dill, and that the editor. Rev. Dr. Wolf, and 
the owners, Messrs. Harding and Mahony. 
would meet me at 2 o'clock in the St. Cloud 
Hotel on .Arch .'^treet. to submit the manu- 
script of the article. Delaney and I called 
in a closed carriage, met the three gentlemen 
in a private room. The editorial was handed 



284 



Peiinsvlvania and Its I'ublic Men. 



to me by Dr. Wolf with the pleasant an- 
nouncement that I was privileged to add to 
or take from or do anything to strengthen it. 
It was one of the most remarkable articles I 
had ever read on the subject so new to any 
writer. It was a most scholarly, finished com- 
position covering the case in perfect logic. I 
handed it back with the declaration that I 
would not touch it with pen or pencil, as it 
was all that the human mind was capable of 
producing on the subject. I warmly congratu- 
lated Dr. Wolf and the owners for having so 
able a man to edit their great paper. I asked 
the gentlemen if I could compensate them, 
and the answer came from all three in the 
same breath 'No, sir; this is a duty we owe 
ourselves and the readers of our paper, and 
you cannot pay for it.' On the way back to 
headquarters Delaney told me he would like 
to place an order for 200,000 copies of the 
paper at the American News Company's rates 
to distribute in Catholic communities. I told 
him to go ahead if he could get them. He 
reported to me within the hour that his offer 
had been accepted, but expressed fear that 
as soon as the first copies of the paper were 
placed on the news stands the Democratic 
leaders, particularly Lewis C. Cassidy and 
William McGrath, would rush to Archbishop 
Wood and have the sale stopped. I saw the 
force of his fear and assured him that he 
was at liberty to devise any plan he saw fit 
to get the papers. He then asked me to 
assign to him a man who knew the city thor- 
oughly, as he would place with all the news 
dealers an order, without limit, for every copy 
of the Standard they could get. The wisdom 
of the plan appealed to me and I sent for 
Charles E. Voofhees, assigned him to De- 
laney, and together they made the rounds of 
the news stands of the citv. placing .their or- 
ders. Delaney's sagacity was more than veri- 
fied and rewarded, for no sooner was the 
Standard placed on sale than the news of 
the bitter attack on Dill spread like a prairie 
fire and in a .short time the management of 
the Standard secured from Bishop Wood a 
peremptory order to sell no papers in bulk 
to either political party. Delaney was sent for 
by Mr. Mahony. shown the order, with many 
expressions of regret. But Delaney smiled 
when he found the order did not ston the sale 
to news dealers, and so assured his friends 
that their presses would be kept goino' until 
all their blank naper was used. While De- 
laney was standing with Mr. Mahony several 
large orders arrived, and with a twinkle in 
his eye the owner complimented the captain 
on having outflanked not only the Archbishop, 
but the Democratic leaders. We ordered 
200.000 copies from the Standard, none of 
which we got, but we did get 230,000 copies 



from the various news stands, which were im- 
mediately sent into all Catholic conmumities 
in the State. Dill collapsed on learning of 
the Standard's attack, gave up the fight by 
acknowledging that all that was charged was 
true, but that it was unfair to hold him re- 
sponsible for things said and written when 
he was a young man. Hoyt won by nearly 
40,000, an unusual majority for those days. 
Delaney's coal reeion work was most brilliant, 
as his own county of Luzerne, one of the 
strongest Democratic counties in the State, 
gave Hoyt over 6000 majority. Delaney won 
lots of recruits in that fight by the argument 
that in the history of the nation or down to 
the beginning of the life of the Republican 
party. Democrats rarely, if ever, honored one 
of his race or creed with public place of honor, 
while the Republican leaders conferred upon 
his people their best and choicest gifts, point- 
ing with special pride to the fact that for the 
first time in the nation's history the postoffice 
at New York and the collectorship of its 
port were filled by two Irish Catholics, Patrick 
Jones, Postmaster, and Thomas Murphy, Col- 
lector." 

It was because Quay knew by actual tests 
of Delaney's success that he singled him out 
from all other Pennsylvanians in 1888 to help 
him win that greatest of all political victories. 

Delaney immediately responded to Quay's 
message of July 17, 1888, to join him in New 
York. An incident occurred while on his way 
to the Harrisburg depot to join his chief, 
which can be said to throw a fine light on 
his splendid loyalty to him. About midway 
lictween his home and the Harrisburg depot 
I5elaney met the lamented Chauncey F. Black, 
of York, who was on his way to tender him 
a place on the Utah Commission as a gift from 
President Cleveland. Governor Black was 
at once made aware of Delaney's destination, 
and with all the power of his mastery of 
words, he tried to persuade him to accept 
President Cleveland's gift. The Utah Com- 
mission of Registration and Elections was one 
of the softest snaps in the President's gift. 
It paid $5000 per year salary and $1500 for 
expenses, and with very little to do. The 
commission consisted of two Republicans and 
two Democrats and Governor Black, who, at 
that time, was President of the Pennsylvania 
Senate and also President of the National 
Democratic Clubs; he was wise in his scheme 
to keep Delaney away from Quay during the 
campaign, but the latter was not made of the 
stuff the Governor thought, for he spurned 
the office with true Irish indignation, and this, 
too, in the face of the fact that he was only 
receiving $2000 per year as Librarian of the 
State Senate. Governor Black rode all the 
way to Philadelphia with the captain, trying to 



Pcimsvlz'onia and Its Public Men. 



285 



persuade him to go to Utah, but without 
success. 

Senator Cameron was also on the train, and 
when he learned of his mission tried to dis- 
courage him, so bitter was his hatred of Har- 
rison. 

Delaney found Senator Qua)' that night and 
was at once assigned to the command of the 
Irish-.\merican wing of the National Commit- 
tee, and within a few days he was made lieu- 
tenant of the labor forces under the astute 
United States Senator Piatt, who was in com- 
mand of Quay's labor forces. Within two 
weeks Piatt discovered that Delaney knew 
more labor people in a day than he did in 
his whole life, and .so dumped his labor bur- 
den on the captain's broad shoulders. De- 
laney at once called on his friend, General M. 
Kerwin, then editor of the Catholic Tablet, 
and the most intelligent and enthusiastic Irish 
Republican in the nation. Kerwin was one 
of Blaine's most trusted friends and ardent 
admirers. And now cotties the story of how 
Quay won the battle of i88S. 

Quay knew that he had but one class of 
people from which to draw recruits, namely: 
the Irish voters. He told his executive com- 
mittee that unless he could hold the Rlaino 
Irish and win others he had little hope of 
success. The Germans had been driven from 
the Republicans in New York by a foolish ex- 
cise law. and there was little hope from that 
source. General Kerwin and Delaney decide<l 
that if the tariff could be made the paramount 
issue, they could win more of their people by 
that than by any and all other issues, and they 
pressed it so well that Quay not only decided 
to make it the paramount, but the one square 
issue. This enabled General Kerwin to turn 
his church paper into a red hot tariff Repub- 
lican one. Irish-.\merican clubs popped up 
all over what is now greater New ^'ork, and 
all the way up the Hudson to Troy. Delaney 
called on the labor leaders, foremost of whom 
was his boyhood friend. T. \'. Powderly. and 
they rallied around Quay's banner for tariff 
and protection to .American labor. 

Soon after Quay started his wonderful cam- 
paign, men. and women, too, sought him to 
urge that Cleveland's personal character be 
made a subject of attack on account of 
Maria Halpin. but to the honor and glory of 
Quay he and his colleagues of the Executive 
Committee steadfastly refused to depart from 
the tariff policy, and so for the first time a 
presidential battle was fought without drag- 
ging into it personalities. Quay made Cap- 
tain Delaney the bearer of his proposition to 
Democratic Chairman Barnum and Senator 
Bricc, that personalities were to be kept out 
of the fight, and the message was accepted 
with great pleasure. 



Cleveland's administration was unfortunate 
in its contracts with English manufacturers 
and its attacks on the tariff. Among other 
things a contract was made with an l-Lnglish 
Company to dredge New York harbor, and 
another for blankets with English manufac- 
turers for the navy. Delaney, while looking 
out over the North River, saw the Ivnglish 
ship Alabama at work dredging the harbor, 
and this gave him a most fortunate chance to 
drive a nail in Cleveland's coffin, and this in- 
cident, while in itself very insignificant, led 
to a most profitable conclusion. .\t the time 
of discovering the Alabama dredging he made 
a more important discovery, to wit: that the 
longshore men had a pet organ edited in 
Brooklyn, called The Emancipator, owned and 
edited by a man named "Mezeroff." This was 
the Russian name for Rogers. This discovery 
led to another most important one that "Mez- 
eroff" was a fugitive from English wrath, as 
he was wanted for an attempt to blow up the 
English House of Parliament. Scotland Yard 
sleuths had chased "Mezeroff" around the 
world, as he was one of the noted chemists 
of Europe and a Fenian of Fenians whose 
courage was equal to his intelligence, his love 
for Ireland, and his bitter hatred for I-lngland 
and of everything I'^nglish. Delaney rejjorted 
his discoveries to Quay and asked permission 
to capture the Emancipalor which, by the way, 
was supporting Cleveland most vigorously. It 
was pointed out to Quay that if they got the 
Emancipator they could get the longshore 
men, as at that time nearly every longshore 
man was an Irishman. They also assured 
Quay that if they had the men along the river 
fronts they would prevent the so-called "Truck 
Campaign" which was a great factor with 
Tanmiany. Quay was instandy impressed and 
gave consent, only admonishing them to keep 
close to shore on money matters, as his com- 
mittee was very poor. General Kerwin found 
"Mezeroff." took him to oi Fifth Avenue. 
Republican headquarters. The pleading lasted 
about an hour, Kerwin and Delaney advanc- 
ing the most convincing arguments against the 
genius of the would-be dynamiter. When all 
argument was about exhausted Delaney 
brought up the Alabama incident and the con- 
tracts with the English manufacturers to sup- 
ply the .American navy with blankets, and 
that no other party in .\merican politics would 
he guilty of such a crime but that of Cleve- 
land Democracy, and that if "Mezeroff' could 
reconcile his loyalty to Ireland and his loyalty 
to the ally of England in .-\merica, then the 
quicker Irishmen, the world over, knew it the 
better for Ireland's cause. 

The old man broke down at this, confessed 
that he was so poor that he was compelled to 
accept the first offer made him, hut that now 



286 



Pennsylvania and Its I'nblic Men. 



he saw things in such a light that he would 
rather go to a poor house than assist an ally 
of the government that had hounded him al- 
most to his grave and which had ruined his 
native land. "Mezeroflf" not only surrendered 
his contract to keep the longshore men fired 
up for Democracy, but he also confessed and 
surrendered his contract to stock the Brook- 
lyn navy yard with Democrats from wherever 
they might appear, east, west, north, or south. 
This was the crowning discovery by General 
Kerwin and Delaney, and they were not slow 
to take advantage of it. "Mezeroff" was 
shown the Alabama with the cross of St. 
George floating over it, but he was given 
ample proof of so many other things against 
Democracy that he became a most rampant 
and bitter hater of the Democratic party. 
Delaney purchased the Emancipator, put 
"JMezeroff" on the weekly pay roll, and at 
the same time so managed "Mezeroff'" that for 
two whole months he kept him on the Demo- 
cratic pay roll and winning from Democratic 
leaders their inner secrets. The Emancipator 
was changed to an illustrated paper, and for 
three weeks edited mildly in favor of the 
Republican party. This had to be done while 
canvassers with most plausible stories moved 
among the longshore men, showing and teach- 
ing them the alliance between Democracy and 
England. When the apple was well ripened 
the Emancipator appeared with cuts of the 
Alabama laden down to the waters edge with 
the contract for blankets, and when rid of 
her cargo put to work as the dredger of the 
harbor. That issue was like the proverbial 
red rag before a mad bull. The longshore 
men were ready to go any length to avenge 
the long deception practiced on them by Dem- 
ocratic politicians. They were at last awak- 
ened to the full force and truth of the state- 
ment of the London Times that ''the only time 
England can use an Irishman is when he emi- 
grates to America and votes for Free Trade." 
The Emancipator and the Tablet began their 
sledgehammer blows early in September, both 
in illustrations and solid arguments, which 
stirred the Irish heart and minds to white 
heat. Tammany ordered its usual "Truck 
Campaign" to start up and down North and 
East rivers. This consisted of horses hitched 
to low trucks pulled from one wharf to an- 
other where the river front men gathered to 
hear the fog horn orators of Tammany ex- 
pound true Democratic free trade doctrine. 
But this was a time when they had neither 
eyes, ears nor taste for that kind of oratory, 
and so on the appearance of the first truck 
notice was served by the new converts that 
they would not be allowed to proceed, and so 
every attempt made to address the stalwart 
muscular toilers was frustrated until for the 



first time in the history of New York politics, 
Tammany's authority was not only defied but 
put to complete rout. 

Demand for Irish-American speakers be- 
came so numerous that the National Commit- 
tee was faxed to the limit. Down all along 
the Bowery came requests as well as up and 
down the two rivers for Irish-American 
speakers. 

When hardest pressed for campaigners De- 
laney suggested to Quay that Charles F. War- 
wick, of Philadelphia, would pass for a genu- 
ine Irish orator. Quay laughed at the idea, 
but when Delaney told him of his wonderful 
power of mimicry, he directed him to send for 
Warwick. Like the good soldier that he ever 
was, he responded at once. But when told by 
Delaney that he was to speak in the very heart 
of the Bowery, he entered a vigorous protest, 
saying among other things, that he had to 
consider his family, and that he was not car- 
rying much insurance on his life, etc. De- 
laney guaranteed his friend that with his gift 
of oratory and his ability to use the genuine 
Irish brogue that he would be as safe as in 
the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. The 
captain told him that all he would have to do 
would be to brush up a little on his Irish, 
particularly her St. Patrick, her warriors, 
poets, scholars, and her world-renowned love 
of mirth; her tenderness and sympathy; her 
love for everything Irish and American, and 
her undying hatred of everything English. 

Delaney did not neglect to impress his 
friend with the contracts of the Cleveland 
administration, and to everlastingly ring the 
charges on the Alabama ship and her mission 
both during the dark days of war and now of 
peace. Warwick, ever apt, caught the spirit 
and agreed to go to the Bowery. All of a 
sudden he turned to the captain and asked, 
in dire distress, "but what of my name: surely 
they will know that Warwick is not an Irish 
name." The captain quieted the brilliant 
orator by assuring him that no name was to 
be given, the bills would simply announce "a 
great oratorical surprise in store for the audi- 
ence ; a distinguished Irish orator would ad- 
dress the meeting and his hearers should be 
prepared to laugh and cry." 

The hall was packed and fully a thousand 
men and women fought to get inside. War- 
wick was at his best in eloquence and brogue, 
and never in all his campaigning did he have 
a more enthusiastic audience. He made them 
laugh, he made them cry, and he inspired them 
to do one more ; he made them swear at the 
Cleveland free trade alliance with England. 
Warwick was never happier over a reception, 
and to this day he speaks of it with pardonable 
pride. Of his audience, well, they were so 
enthusiastic that at 8 o'clock the ne.xt morning 



Pcnnsxlvaiiia and Its Public Men. 



287 



a coiuniittce was besieging llie Xational head- 
quarters to insist that "that great Irish orator 
should be brought back," and so Mr. War- 
wick could have had engagements for six 
times a day and every day of the campaign. 

Xeedless to say that Quay and his commit- 
tee were delighted. .About this time John 1. 
Davenport, United States Commissioner of 
Elections, called for some help in his great 
work against the lodging house padding, and 
Delaney sent back to Pennsylvania for two 
of his most astute workers, Capt. John Galla- 
gher and J. E. Kearns. These men were put 
to work to enlighten the lodging house keepers 
of Quay's determination to put every one of 
them behind iron bars if they did not quit, 
and to prove that he meant business he of- 
fered a reward of $25,000 for the arrest and 
conviction of fraudulent lodging house keep- 
ers. The Pennsylvania assistants proved their 
value, as within a week Kearns marched into 
headquarters landlords who had sleeping 
rooms for thirty and thirty-five men, but with 
as many as three hundred registered. These 
men surrendered to Quay unconditionally, one 
after another, until practically the system was 
eliminated. Other important factors were fast 
coming to the front which were giving Quay 
the complete mastery over the huge system 
of frauds. One notable and special scheme 
which, next to the lodging house iniquity, 
was most dangerous and productive of re- 
sults for Tammany and Democracy, was the 
privilege allowed captains and crews of tug 
Ijoats to vote at the wharf they might find 
themselves at on election day. This practice 
was given away by a brave Iri.sh pilot named 
Barry. He showed Kerwin and Delaney how 
these crews would go from one wharf to an- 
other, up one river and down the other, re- 
peating at every voting place, and after they 
made the rounds on the Xew York side would 
cross over to the Brooklyn and then to the 
Jersey side and claim residence there. Barry 
gave to Quay the key which forever locked 
up and sealed this practice. 

Quay surrounded himself with the ablest 
politicians of the dav : J. S. Clarkson, W. W. 
Dudley, J. Sloat Fassett! and T. C. Piatt, were 
his daily counsellors, and then his executive 
committee, with such men as Fessenden. Con- 
ger. Hobart. De Young, and Cassius Goodlow. 
with an occasional consultation with that other 
master of Indiana politics, L. T. Michener. 
These men were ever of one mind, never once 
disagreeing with Quav's plans. Thus the 
chairman found himself master of the situa- 
tion with the famous Pennsylvania trio, W'an- 
amakcr, Dobson, and Dolan, at work as his 
finance committee, gathering in the shekels 
to pay the many expenses he had to meet 
dailv. 



.At one time he was so hard pressed that 
he and Piatt had to put their personal note 
in bank to raise $100,000. And again, (ieorge 
Wallace Delamater, whom he called to help 
him out with his private correspondence, when 
I'^ank Willing Leach was sent away, advanced 
the cash for a whole week to meet his obliga- 
tions. 

I'larly in (October Delaney rejinrted to him 
that the four points in the State of Xew York 
most promising, outside the city proper, were 
Brooklyn, Queens County, .Albany, and Rens- 
selaer, and that of the four he was most 
hap])y over the prospects of preventing the 
carrying out of the \Vhitney-Singerly plan to 
fill the Brooklyn navy yard with rejjeaters, 
and here is where the famous dynamiter, 
"Mezeroff," rendered his greatest service to 
Quay and his plans. 

"Mezeroff" was playing double with Dem- 
ocracy, pretending, under the guidance of 
Kerwin and Delaney, to be acting in good 
faith by admitting to the navy yard only good 
and loyal Democrats. However, none were 
a<lmitted but qualified Kings County Repub- 
licans, every man, when on the inside, vowing 
to be ardent Cleveland men right up to elec- 
tion day. Thus Democracy was lulled to sleep 
by the siren song of the more than 7000 
men placed in the navy yard, that they were 
for Cleveland and free trade. 

Up in .Albany and Troy were at work two 
most accomplished pastmasters in the per- 
sons of M. Mulhall and Michael Walsh, sent 
to Quay with the strongest kind of endorse- 
ments from William McKinley. These two 
Irishmen were labor organizers who had ren- 
dered McKinley valuable services in his Con- 
gressional battles. 

Judge Herrick was in command of the 
Democratic forces in .Albany. It was an easy 
matter to bamboozle him because of his bom- 
bastic claims of ten to fifteen thousand ma- 
jority for Cleveland in .Albany County, and 
eight to ten thousand in Rensselaer. Mulhall 
was a fine tenor singer as well as a good 
talker. Walsh was a noted speaker and or- 
ganizer of labor. After a thorough drilling, 
and within a week, they had won Ilerrick's 
complete confidence, and from that on they 
went ahead, pretending to be organizing 
Democratic labor clubs, but instead of this 
they were going from mill to mill and factory 
to shop making engagements to meet their 
brethren in their labor lodge rooms. Once 
inside the sacred precincts of the lodge rooms 
they were protected from betrayal, as their 
labor credentials from Cleveland were sure to 
protect them. Here tliev talked tariff and sang 
labor songs to the delight of the working men. 
The next morning they would report to Her- 
rick their woTiderful success of the night be- 



288 



rciinsylvaiiia ami Its Public Men. 



fore. So enthusiastic did Ilerrick become tliat 
he was always ready to pay each week's salary 
in advance and add a little extra for loeeping 
up the enthusiasm of the organized labor 
clubs. If Mulhall found Herrick in any but 
a jubilant frame of mind, he would sing him 
a new labor song, the one he won a lot of 
hard-headed Republicans with, and instantly 
he would become extra enthusiastic and ask 
Mulhall what he was going to ask in the way 
of a position when Cleveland was re-elected. 
Mulhall finally said he would like to be an 
ensign in the navy, and in order that his mod- 
est claim should be fulfdled, insisted that Her- 
rick should secure, from the Secretary of the 
Navy, Whitney, a personal letter to that effect. 
This was so easy that Herrick protested, sav- 
ing Mulhall should have something much bet- 
ter. Mulhall wanted only that modest little 
place and would not have any other. 

In due time Herrick produced an autograph 
letter from Secretary Whitney, promising, 
without reservation, that Mr. Mulhall should 
have the position. When the end of the cam- 
paign was at hand and Mulhall and Walsh 
had captured over $3000 of Democratic money, 
they threw ofif the mask, gave Whitney's letter 
to Quay, w'hich was published along with 
Minister West's famous letter, advising his 
correspondent to vote for Cleveland, which 
advice cost him his berth as the Minister to 
Washington from the Court of St. James. 
This was a put up job on West by the Ker- 
win-Delaney combine. Thus Delanev had 
every reason for his claim that Kings County 
would not give Cleveland over 12,000. In- 
stead it gave him about 11,000, and Quay's 
claim that the State would go to Harrison by 
15,000. 

Among the special incidents in that famous 
campaign which should not be lost, was the 
most famous campaign card ever designed, 
and the most popular, too. From the open- 
ing to the near close of the campaign. Quay 
was beset by an army of schemers, 99 per 
cent, of whom he put off with his character- 
istic politeness. 

One morning, early in October, Delaney 
laid before him a design of a little leaflet 
which instantly made his "cock eye" dance. 
The little scheme was a four-page leaflet. On 
the first page was a portrait of Cleveland, and 
directly over his head floated the English flag 
in its natural colors. Over the flag was the 
words, in bold type, "Regular Democratic 
Nominations." Under Cleveland's portrait 
was the following: "For President, Grover 
Cleveland of New York," and the follow- 
ing quotation from the London Spectator: 
"Grover Cleveland has done more to advance 
the cause of free trade than any Prime Minisr 
ter of England has ever done." Under the 



above appeared : "For Nice-President, Allen 
G. Thurman of Ohio," w'ith the following 
quotation from the London Times: "The 
only time England can use an Irishman is 
when he emigrates to America and votes for 
Free Trade." On page 2 appeared a most 
pathetic picture of an actual eviction scene 
in Ireland with the inscription above the pic- 
ture, "What Free Trade has done for Ire- 
land." The picture showed the eviction in all 
its abhorrence. The crow-bar brigade, after 
carrying out the dying owner and throwing 
the contents of the miserable thatched cottage 
into the snow, was seen, with two "Peelers," 
dismantling the cottage. In front and around 
it was the armed police, or "Peelers," as 
known in Ireland, keeping at bay the angry 
peasants who had flocked to the scene. Bend- 
ing over the expiring owner was the poor 
old wife weeping. Under the picture were the 
following lines from the pen of General Ker- 
win : 

"Look on this picture; God of Heaven, 
Come to poor bleeding Erin's aid; 

Can perjured England be forgiven 
For thrusting on her soil Free Trade?" 

Immediately following the eviction scene 
came another picture representing "The 
American Mechanic's Home." This was a 
typical American workman's home. A neat, 
attractive cottage surrounded by a well-kept 
yard and inclosed by a neat picket fence, the 
gate wide open as was the front door of the 
cottage. Standing at the door was the me- 
chanic's wife, the mother of the two lively 
children who had dashed down the sidewalk 
to meet the home-coming husband and father. 
The father drops the tool box, which is picked 
up by the boy, and, stooping down, grasps the 
little daughter, pressing her to his heart. The 
contrast between the two pictures was won- 
derfully carried out, and the whole was com- 
pleted by the words under it : "What Protec- 
tion has done for America." 

Turning over to the fourth page, we find 
another most striking appeal to the Irish 
voters. At the top were the three words in 
large letters — "Regular Republican Nomina- 
tion" — and under that the stars and stripes in 
natural colors, the flag floating gracefully over 
the two fine portraits of Harrison and Morton. 

Here, again, were two most appealing quota- 
tions, two that could not help but appeal to 
the generous Irish hearts. The first was from 
a speech made by General Harrison the year 
before his nomination at Indianapolis at a 
banquet given to the two Members of Parlia- 
ment, Esmond and O'Connor. The general 
said ; "I would rather be William O'Brien in 
Tulamore jail, a martvr to the cause of free 
speech, than the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 



Pciiiisyk'Oiiia and Its Public Men. 



289 



Dublin Castle." O'Brien, editor of the L'ltitcd 
Irishman, had been placed in Tulaniore jail 
a short time before the speech. For Levi P. 
Morton, the following (]uotalion from the 
Irish World was given: "His. .Morton's, great 
generosity to Ireland in sending to that coun- 
try during its great famine a ship load of 
provisions from Xew York, will never be for- 
gotten by the Irishmen of America.'' As quick 
as Quay glanced at the sketches he looked at 
Dclaney, and with a smile remarked, "That 
means something: how many do you want?" 
Dclaney hesitated, as he knew the demand 
would be very great, but he finally said, "We 
ought to have 200,000 copies. " 

Quay at once said, "Make it a million, and 
when you get the proofs, send the first to Gen- 
eral Harrison, and then send proof copies to 
all chairmen of State committees, e.xcept in 
the South." 

The proofs went out. General Harrison 
sent his son. Russell, to Xew York to urge that 
two hundred thousand copies be sent to In- 
diana. Orders poured in on Quay from Maine 
to California, until the total reached more than 
seven millions, more copies than all the presses 
in Xew York could turn out in the time. Tom 
Cooper, as the Pennsylvania chairman, rushed 
over to Xew York and demanded a half mil- 
lion copies for Pennsylvania, but Quay put him 
off with thirty thousand, and made him pay for 
every copy. 

The night of election came, and as the 
returns came in early the Democratic head- 
(luartcrs and Democratic paper offices were 
jubilant. They claimed Cleveland's election In- 
big majorities — Xew York by 75.000, Brooklyn 
by 30,000, Queens County by 10,000. .\lbany by 
15.000. Rensselaer by 10,000. By 8.30 P. \[. 
the tables w'ere turned, as Xew York shriveled 
down to 50.000. Kings County (Brooklyn) to 
11.000, Queens to 500. and .\lbany and Rens- 
selaer conceded to Harrison by big majorities. 

By 9 o'clock the Democratic headquarters, 
national, State and county, were in darkness, 
and the victory conceded to Harrison. By 
midnight the Democratic Xational and State 
headquarters, were reopened, and all Demo- 
cratic papers put out bulletins claiming Cleve- 
land's election, basing their claims on changed 
results in Brooklyn. .Albany and Troy. Quay 
and his committee were not to be caught nap- 
ping. They at once saw that it was the old 
game of fraud. Captain Delaney was at once 
selected to put the Republicans on guard, first 
in Brooklyn and again to go to .-Vlbany and 
Troy with all the possible speed of steam 
power. .\ team was placed at his disposal 
with instructions to get to Brooklyn and back 
as speedily as possible, in order that he might 
get aboard a special train for .-Vlbany. Xo 
team ever went from Xew York to Brooklyn 
19 



and back in so short a time. Delaney carried 
a letter from [. Sloat I'assett, Secretary of the 
Committee to the Chairman of the Brooklyn 
Connnittee. It was brief, but emphatic, as fol- 
lows : 

"Chairman Republican t'omniittee, Brooklyn: 

"This will introduce Captain Delaney of our 
headquarters, who goes to impress u[)on you 
the vital importance of vigilance in guarding 
the returns from fraud until officially can- 
vassed. Place a regiment, even a brigade, on 
guartl, if necessary, as eternal vigilance is 
necessary to prevent the robbery of the State. 
We have won the victory, and we must not be 
cheated out of it. F.xssett." 

On Captain Delaney's return to headquarters 
he assured Chairman Quay that Brooklyn was 
positively safe, and that no rascality would 
rob the party in that quarter. .Armed with two 
letters to the chairmen of .Albany and Rens- 
selaer, he hurried to the (irand Central Depot 
where Chauncey Depew had a locomotive and 
passenger coach waiting to rush him to .Al- 
bany. It was now one o'clock \. M. Tired 
and worn out, he threw himself on the seat, 
made himself as comfortable as possible, and 
when roused by the brakeman. found himself 
in .Albany. With all possible speed he hurried 
to Republican headquarters, and found the 
chairmen of both counties waiting for him. 
Handing each his credentials, he authorized 
them to place on guard all the men they 
needed, the Xational Committee defraying all 
expenses. The game of the enemy was to 
perpetrate enough frauds in Democratic wards 
and precincts in Brooklyn, Albany and Troy to 
give Cleveland the State. The letter to Chair- 
man Francis revealed more clearly the game 
that was feared and the man who was bold 
enough to perpetrate it. 

Fassett wrote : "My dear Francis: Captain 
Delaney, of our headquarters, goes to warn 
you of the danger threatening us. We have 
won the State by a handsome plurality, at 
least fifteen thousand. Democrats conceded 
our victory until the arrival in Xew York of 
Senator (jornian about midnight, when their 
Xational headquarters were reopened and bul- 
letins put out by Democratic papers, claiming 
they had won. Captain Delaney will explain 
fully. Remember, eternal vigilance is to be 
the price of this victory, and Gorman must not 
be permitted to steal the State by robbing us 
of our well-earned victory. F.vssett." 

Captain Delaney returned on his special with 
abundance of assurance that .Albany and Troy, 
so far as they were concerned, would prevent 
the robbery, and so all his predictions were 
fulfilled and his missions crowned with suc- 
cess. The captain was very proud of the many 
souvenirs he brought away from the scene of 



290 



Pcniisylvaiiia and Its Public Men. 



this great battle, but none more so than his 
eviction card and the Fassett letters. 

Of the work of the two fearless Irishmen, 
Kerwin and Delaney, and particularly of the 
eviction card and the capture of the man 
"Mezerofif," which prevented the packing of 
the Navy Yard with thousands of repeaters, 
Quay, Clarkson, Dudley, Fassett and Piatt 
were justly proud. They were specially enthu- 
siastic over the eviction card, as it proved the 
most effective campaign document ever in- 
vented. It was so appropriate in the light of 
the battle for tariff long after the campaign 
ended. Urgent requests were made for copies 
of the famous card, one enthusiastic Irishman 
offering to pay a dollar for a single copy. 

Delaney insists that to no one but to the 
genius of Quay and his able Executive Com- 
mittee and the three men who raised the means 
to carry on the campaign should credit be 
given, for no matter wdiat he and General 
Kerwin did or suggested, nothing could have 
been done had it not been for Quay's genius 
to size it up and approve what was good and 
reject what was bad. Therefore, he contends 
it was not to The Nciv York Tablet, The Irish 
World, The Emancipator, the Brooklyn Navy 
Yard tactics, nor any and all other incidents, 
but to Matthew Stanley Quay, the man of the 
hour, that Harrison owed his victory of 1888. 



Samuel B. Scott 

Lawyer and Legislator 

Samuel B. Scott, of Germantown, has a 
most distinguished ancestry upon both his 
paternal and maternal side. Upon that of 
the latter was George Bryan who shared 
political power and prestige with Benjamin 
Franklin, and who was a justice of the Su- 
preme Court of Pennsylvania from 1780 to 
1791, and who acted from May to December, 
1778, as President of the Executive Council 
or Governor of the State. LTpon the father's 
side was Franklin, while the Scotts are also 
related to the famous Wistar family. Mr. 
Scott, in 1907, married Margaretta Morris, 
who also has a long and honorable lineage, 
and whose grandfather was Justice Burnside 
of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The 
father of Mr. Scott, Charles Hodge Scott, 
was a native of Kentucky, and was of Scotch- 
Irish descent. He spent his boyhood at 
Princeton, New Jersey, and graduated from 
the famous college in 1868. He then went to 
Allegheny City and became identified promi- 
nently with the iron trade. Samuel B. was 
born in that city .\ugust 26, 1878. Spent 
eight years in the Fifth Ward public school, 
and then went to Shadvside Academv, Pitts- 



burg, a pre])aratory school, and afterward, 
entering Princeton College, graduated in the 
class of 1900. He took a post-graduate 
course in 1901, receiving, the degree of A.M. 
Mr. Scott then came to Philadelphia and 
studied law under the direction of John 
Houston Merrill, and was admitted to the bar 
in 1905. Mr. Scott devotes himself exclu- 
sively to civil practice, having offices in the 
Franklin National Bank Building. He is one 
of the young independent Reoublican leaders 




of the city, and was connected with the old 
municipal league in the Twenty-second Ward, 
and then with the City Party at its birth. 
He was one of the active spirits who mate- 
rially assisted in swelling the independent vote 
of the ward from 800 until it commanded 
3000 majority. In 1906, owing to his promi- 
nence in the cause of good government, Mr. 
Scott received the nomination of the City 
Party for the Legislature, and was elected 
and re-elected in 1908. Throughout the two 
sessions Mr. Scott had the courage and ability 
to oppose all vicious and boss-bnrn legisla- 
tion, and was largely instrumental in bring- 
ing about the defeat of the scheme to repeal 
the special poor laws as relating to German- 
town and Frankford. Mr. Scott was a rep- 
resentative to the City Campaign Committee 
of the Municipal League, and is a member of 
the City Club and the Young Republican Club 
of the Twentv-second Ward. 



I'cuiis\iz-aiiia ami Its Public Men. 



291 



Thomas F. Heffernan 

Postmaslei of Wilkes- Barre 

Thomas F. Heffernan is another breaker 
boy of the Pennsylvania coal mines who has 
made a success of life through his own sturdy 




efforts. For several years he has been one of 
the Republican leaders of Luzerne County, 
having a natural and superior aptitutle for 
politics and has enjoyed the full confidence 
of both Senators Quay and Penrose. He was 
born at Plymouth, Luzerne County. March lo, 
1871, his father, Andrew, and his mother. 
Mary Heffernan. His father, who was of 
English extraction, was employed in the mines 
about Plymouth, and when a lad of nine he as- 
sisted in the support of the family by working 
as a breaker boy. and so continued until he 
was fifteen. He was largely self-educated in 
the rudimentary branches, and by dint of 
frugality managed to save enough to enable 
him to become a student of Wyoming Semi- 
nary, and from which he graduated. He then 
became a teacher in the public schools, and 
for three years occupied himself in that ca- 
pacity. The natural bent of his mind was 
in the direction of journalism, however, and 
in 1894 he secured a position as reporter on 
the Daily Record of Wilkes- Barre, assuming 
charge of the political dei)artment. In the 
meantime he had beeun his activities as a 
Republican, and in January. i8g6, was ap- 
pointed Deputy County Treasurer. He con- 



tinued his newspaper work in Wilkes- Harrc, 
and in 1903 bis party usefulness caused him to 
be selected for Chairman of the Republican 
County Committee, which he held until 1905, 
conducting vigorous and successful campaigns. 
For three years he was a member of the Re- 
publican State Committee, and has been a 
delegate to several State conventions. In July, 
1907, upon the death of Postmaster Lacacd, 
he was appointed by President Roosevelt to 
succeed him, and which position he still holds. 
He is a member of the Press Club, the Taft, 
and the Optimist Clubs of W'ilkes-Barre. 



Hon. Charles Lincoln Brown 

Charles Lincoln I'rown. who was a State 
Senator from the Fifth District. Philadelphia, 
for two terms comprising eight years, was 
born in that city July 6, 1864. After having 
been educated in the public schools, he de- 
cided to prepare himself for an engineering 
career. He entered the Lehigh L'niversity for 
a civil engineering course, but illness com- 
pelled him to withdraw from the institution 
before his ambition could he realized. Later 
he entered the L'niversitv of Pennsvlvnnia 




1 : ^.i\\ . wiiich was lollowcd by 

his graduation and his admission to the bar 
of Philadelphia, in whose courts he has been 
practicing since with success. He was elected 
in 189 1 and 1893 to the Common Council 



292 



I'ciiiisylvaiiia ami lis I'liI'lic Men. 



from the Fifteenth Ward, of which he con- 
tinues to be a resident, and in 1894 was elected 
a member of Select Council. In November, 
1896, he was chosen to represent the Fifth 
District in the Senate, declining to be a can- 
didate in 1900. In February, 1903, he was 
elected to again represent the Fifteenth Ward 
in Common Council, and in 1904 was again 
sent to the State Senate from the Fifth Dis- 
trict, composed of the Fifteenth, Twenty- 
eighth. Twenty-ninth. Thirty-second, Thirty- 
seventh, and Thirty-eighth Wards, by a ma- 
jority over his Democratic opponent of 27,- 
283. Mr. Brown has for many years been 
actively identified with Republican politics in 
Philadelphia, and was a delegate to Repub- 
lican State conventions in 1895, 1896, 1897. 
1898, 1900, 1902, 1903, and 1904. He was 
Chairman of the Republican City Campaign 
Committee in 1906-7, and it was largely 
through his efforts that the Hon. John E. 
Reyburn was selected for the mayoralty of 
Philadelphia. Mr. Brown has been for a 
number of years one of the counsel for the 
State Pure Food Department, and has been 
active in prosecuting violators of the laws 
applying thereto. 



Hugh Black 



zation taking down its ticket and putting up 
men not so well known. The other candi- 
dates made no objection to this program, but 
Mr. Black could see no reason for resigning 
the nomination which had been given to him 
regularly by an organization to which he still 
adhered and which he still believed invincible. 
He expressed himself freely, saying the sup- 
posed uprising of the people was not so seri- 
ous as was feared, and added that he could 



Receiver of Taxes, Philadelphia 

Hugh Black is of Scotch-Irish extraction, 
and was born in the Seventh Ward, Phila- 
delphia, in 1854. When nine years of age 
his father died and he was compelled to go 
to work to support his mother and five other 
children. He worked in a factory during the 
day, and in the evening sold newspapers. 
Later he found a position in the brickyard, 
where he was employed for many years. 
After reaching manhood he was appointed as 
a helper in the old Point Breeze gas works, 
and was rapidly promoted until he became 
foreman. Upon attaining his majority he be- 
came interested in politics, and during the 
Henderson-McAvoy councilmanic contest he 
was made Chairman of the Twenty-sixth 
Ward Republican Committee. When the 
ward was divided in 1892 he found himself 
in the Thirty-sixth Ward, of which he soon be- 
came the Republican leader, and which posi- 
tion he has held ever since. In the same year, 
1892, he was elected to represent the Thirty- 
sixth Ward in Select Council, where he voted 
against the gas lease of 1897. He served 
until he was elected to the office of County 
Commissioner, in 1899. He was in this office 
still and had already been placed on the or- 
ganization ticket to succeed himself when the 
political storm of 1905 broke out. When the 
strength of this disturbance was generallv 
realized, it became a question of the organi- 




hardly give up the nouiinatiun without admit- 
ting that he was not fitted to run. Many 
conferences were held and threats were made. 
Durham, Black's close friend, pleaded with 
him, and finally he was assured that it was 
no question of his personal worth or asper- 
sion on his character. Mr. Black then came 
off the ticket and obligated himself to sup- 
port the new nominee, whoever he might be. 
He was made Chairman of the Republican 
City Committee in January, 1906, and held 
the chairmanship of that body for two years, 
when he resigned to make his campaign for 
the Receiver of Taxes, to which he was 
elected by a very large majority. Mr. Black 
is a member of the Grace Presbyterian 
Church and of many social and political or- 
ganizations, including the Keystone Lodge, 
Free and Accepted Masons, Knights of 
Pythias: is President of the Thirty-sixth 
Ward Republican Club and an active member 
of the Union Republican Club, Young Repub- 
lican Club, and the Penrose Club. 



Pciinsxlvaiiia and Its Public Men. 



293 



Charles N. Mann 

State Railroad Commissioner 

Cliarlcs X. Mann is the son of the late 
Col. Wiiliani B. Mann, who was a heroic 
figure at the har of Philadelphia and in the 
arena of politics for half a century. He had 
the reputation of being one of the greatest 
criminal lawyers in the United Slates, and 
was District Attorney of Philadelphia, and 
died while occupying the position of Prothono- 
tarv of the Common Pleas Courts of that city. 




He also raised and connnanded a volunteer 
regiment in the Civil War. Charles X. Mann 
was the recipient of a liberal education and had 
the unexceptional advantages of his father's 
forensic knowledge of the law. He was at- 
tached for several years to the Law Depart- 
ment of the City under City Solicitor General 
Collis, and when his father received the ap- 
pointment of Prothonotar)' he took a position 
in that office, where he remained for many 
years and until he was appointed by Governor 
Stuart, in 1907. as one of the three members 
of the State Board of Railroad Commission- 
ers. Mr. Mann never had the inclination to 
pursue the active practice of the law. although 
his legal acquirements are of a high order. 
He has been a life-long friend of Governor 
Edwin S. Stuart ami his social companion, 
and his appointment by him on the Railroad 
Commission was distinctively a personal one. 



Mr. Mann has been for years an enthusiastic 
collector of old play bills and literature re- 
lating to the stage, and was the friend of 
McCullough, Booth, Jefferson, and many 
other famous actors. He is noted for his 
social qualities and good-fellowship, which he 
inherited from bis distinguished father, and is 
a gentleman of many accomplishments. 



Daniel J. Shern 

Philadelphia 
Daniel J. Shern. Republican, of the Eighth 
Ward of I'liiladelphia. was born in that city 
March 2. 1S71. He attended the South Broacl 
Street Military Academy, and, entering 
Peirce's College, was graduated from that 
institution in 1887. He subsequently became 
.Assistant Professor of the College. In i88q 
he entered the University of Pennsylvania, 
from which he was graduated in 1892 with the 
degree of LL.D. Mr. Shern was then ad- 
mitted to the Philadelphia County Bar. in 
which he has practiced his profession actively 
since. While he has never held a political 
office, outside of member of the House of 
Representatives, he has always manifested a 
lively interest in the politics of his district. 
He was elected in 1902 over his Democratic 
opponent by a majority of about 3000. receiv- 
ing in the ratio of seven votes to one for his 
defeated competitor. .Mtbough a new member 
of the House of Representatives. Mr. Shern 
was selected to place in nomination in the Re- 
publican joint Senatorial and House caucus, 
Boies Penrose as the choice of the party in 
Pennsylvania for United States Senator. Six 
years later, or in 1909, the same distinction 
again fell to his lot. I'rom start to finish, he 
made a deep impression on his Republican col- 
leagues bv his well-timed speech, which was 
not only happy in conception, but delivered 
ably and eloquently. .'Xt the session of 1903 
Mr. Shern's worth was recognized by Speaker 
Walton, in assigning him to a position of 
Chairman of the important Committee on In- 
surance. He was also a member of the 
Committee on Judiciary General, fieological 
Survey, Law and Order and Federal Relations. 
In 1904 Mr. Shern received even a larger ma- 
joritv than that of two years previously, de- 
feating the candidate on the Democratic ticket 
by a majority of 3933. in the proportion of 
more than eleven votes to one for his opnonent. 
.At the session of 1903 he was appointed to the 
Chairmanship of the Committee on Municipal 
Corporations, and was second on the Commit- 
tee on the General Judiciary and Insurance, as 
well as being a member of other committees. 
In the session of 1909 Mr. Shern was one 
of the Republican floor leaders of the House. 



294 



rciiusxk'aiiia ami Its ['iiblic Men. 



Frank G. Mumma 

Frank G. Mumma, who is universally known 
as Doctor, is one of those human characters — 
somewhat rare — who, as they travel through 




life, constantly add new friendships and ce- 
ment the old. His personal charm and 
marked individuality makes him a social fa- 
vorite in all circles, and apart from his ability, 
have had much to do with his success in poli- 
tics, to which he is devoted through patriotic 
impulse rather than a seeker for its sordid 
profits. In the Reoublican politics of the 
Twenty-ninth Ward he is a factor and an 
active spirit, possessing the full confidence of 
the voters before whom he has come upon sev- 
eral occasions. Dr. Mumma is a native of the 
fair Cumberland Valley of Pennsylvania, and 
comes from an old settled family there. He 
was born at William's Grove, a town noted 
for the annual fair of the State Grangers, 
October lo, 1865. He was educated in the 
public schools of Cumberland County, and then 
became a student at the West Chester Nor- 
mal School, graduating in 1884. He then 
returned to his native town, but deciding upon 
pharmacv as a profession in 189s, he went to 
Philadelphia and entered the College of Phar- 
macv. graduating therefrom in 1898. Select- 
ing Philadelphia as his future home. Dr. 
Mumma embarked in the drug business to 
pursue his chosen profession, and is located 
at 2500 Jefferson Street, where he conducts 



a large and successful estabashment. He be- 
came active as a Republican, and was elected 
a member of the Ward Executive Committee, 
still holding membership. He served two 
terms as a school director, and devoted much 
time and attention to the schools of the sec- 
tion. In 1904 Dr. Mumma received the nomi- 
nation for the Legislature, and was hand- 
somely elected, and in 1906 he was re-elected. 
In 1908 he was re-nominated under the uni- 
form primary system and elected. Dr. 
Mumma is one of the members who reflects 
credit upon the Philadelphia delegation, and 
he is one of the most popular members of 
the lower House. He is a member of the 
Twentieth Century Republican Club. 



Harry D. Beaston 

Harry D. Beaston has figured prominently 
both in the business and public life of his 
native city. He comes of English and Ger- 
man extraction, and was born in what is now 
the Fortieth Ward of Philadelphia, Forty- 
first and Woodland Avenue, and where he 




has resided all his life. His father was a 
sawyer who had a plant at Chesapeake City. 
Maryland, and operated it during Mr. Beas- 
ton's boyhood, the family remaining in Phila- 
delphia. The latter received his education 
at the Greenwa}' Grammar School of West 



Pciinsxhaiiia and Its i'ublic Men. 



295 



Philadelphia. He began his active lite by 
learning the occupation of a florist, having 
been attracted to that for his life work. Five 
years" service taught him the secrets of 
nature and the art of forcing his plants 
through the hot-house system. Later he de- 
sired a larger field for his operations, and so 
in 18-9 he formed a co-partnership with his 
brother Joseph, for the purpose of engaging 
in the flour, feed, and coal business un(ler the 
title of the Beaston Brothers. They estab- 
lished themselves at Forty-first and Wood- 
land .-Xvenuc. where they have built up a large 
business. Some years ago Mr. Beaston also 
turned his attention to real estate operations, 
and began to participate in the development 
of his section as a real estate operator. Its 
wonderful build-up and growth is, in a large 
measure, due to the energy of the Beaston 
Brothers. 

.'\ man of his activity could not escape the 
attention of his fellow citizens, and in 1897 
he was prevailed upon to accept election to 
Common Council from the Twenty-seventh 
Ward in which he resided. Upon the crea- 
tion of the Fortieth Ward from the Twenty- 
seventh, he was its fir.st Select Councilman 
and its Republican party leader. He served 
in the former capacity with distinction and 
to the great profit of the ward by reason of 
public improvements he obtained, until 1904. 
when he was elected Tax Receiver for the 
city of Philadelphia. Prior to that, however, 
he was induced by Senators Quay and Pen- 
rose to accept the position of Supervisor of 
the Federal Census of 1900 for Philadelphia, 
a task which earned for hitn the commenda- 
tion of the Washington authorities. In 1908 
he was elected to the position of County 
Commissioner, and on January I, 1909, en- 
tered upon the duties of that office. 

Mr. Beaston is affiliated with the social and 
religious thought of the Fortieth Ward, is a 
Mason of high degree, and holds membership 
in a number of political and social clubs. 



J. Henry Scattergood 

Registration Commissioner 

J. Henry Scattergood, President of the 
Union Insurance Co., whose office is situated 
at Third and Walnut Streets, is one of the 
four commissioners of the city of Philadel- 
phia who were appointed by the Governor 
in 1906 to direct the operations of the Uni- 
form Primary Election .Act. He was chosen 
as the representative of the independent ele- 
ment of the city, and his selection received 
the highest commendation. Mr. Scattergood 
comes from an old line of Philadelphia 
Quaker ancestry prominent in mercantile and 
business affairs. He was born in that citv on 



January 26, 1877. His higher education was 
received at Haverford College, class of '96, 
and later he entered Harvard College for a 
post-graduate course. His first business ex- 
perience w^as with the .\merican Pulley Com- 
pany, but in 1900 he entered the service of 
the Sharpless Dyewood Extract Company, of 
which his father, Thomas Scattergood, was 
president. In 1904 this company joined with 
the Xew York and Boston Dyewood Com- 
pany in the organization of the .\nierican 




Dyewood Company. In this work Mr. Scat- 
tergood was most active, and he was elected 
Secretary of the Consolidated Company. Two 
years later, however, the executive officers 
were concentrated in Xew York, when Mr. 
Scattergood relinquished the office of secre- 
tary; but he continues as a director, repre-' 
senting the interest of his family, who are 
the largest stockholders. Mr. Scattergood is 
Vice-President of the American Water Soft- 
ener Company, and a Director of the Wolff 
Process Leather Company, and is also con- 
nected with a number of other manufacturing 
and mercantile business houses in connec- 
tion with his father's estate. He has also 
been much interested in athletics, and espe- 
cially cricket, in which he has taken a promi- 
nent part. He played with Haverford Col- 
lege team in the international cricket match 
of 1S96, and later took part in the interna- 
tional matches of iSo7 and 1003. playing 
with the Gentlemen of Philadelphia. 



296 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



Harry T. Kingston 

Lawyer 

Harry T. Kingston was born in the old Dis- 
trict of Soiitliwark, Philadelphia, February 9, 
1851. His parents and grandparents had been 




born and reared in the same district. He 
attended the public schools, was graduated 
from the Mount Vernon School of the Third 
\\'ard, and subsequently from the Central 
High School of Philadelphia in 1868. At- 
tended the Law School of the Lhiiversity of 
Pennsylvania, and read law with Samuel C. 
Perkins, Esq.. and was admitted to the Phila- 
delphia bar on February 24, 1872, since which 
time he has been actively engaged in the 
practice of his profession. In 1887 he was 
elected a member of the Third Sectional 
School Board, and so continued until 1894, 
when he was elected Secretary of said Board. 
He held this office until he was appointed a 
member of the Board of Public Education by 
the Board of Judges of Philadelphia County, 
on October 8, 1901, being the member for the 
First School District of Pennsylvania, this 
district being co-extensive with the city and 
county of Philadelphia, in which position he 
served until December 31, 1905. In 1906 he 
was again elected a member of the Third 
Sectional School Board, in which position he 
served until April, 1909. He has served 
twenty-two years as a member of the Third 



Sectional Board or of the Board of Public 
Education. He is identified with the Masonic 
fraternity, being Past Master of Philadelphia 
Lodge, No. 72; Past High Priest of No. 251, 
Signet Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, and Past 
Commander of Philadelphia Commandcry, No. 
J2. Knights Templar. 

In November, 1902, he was elected a mem- 
ber of the House of Representatives for the 
session of 1903. In May, of 1903, he was 
appointed Assistant Solicitor of the city of 
Philadelphia, in charge of the trial of cases 
in Court of Common Pleas, No. i. of Phila- 
delphia County, which position he still occu- 
pies. 



Dr. A. A. Cairns 

Chief Medical Inspector, Philadelphia 

A. A. Cairns, M.D., is one of the most 
widely-known members of the medical frater- 
nity of Philadelphia, and holds one of the 
most important posts in the great Department 
of Charities and Correction. He is the chief 
of an official force of fifty physicians whose 
work comprises all contagious diseases, vacci- 




nation, and medical inspection of the public 
schools. Dr. Cairns is a splendid executive 
officer, and it is his ability in that direction 
and his eminence in his profession rather than 
political influence that commands his position. 



Peiinsvlvaiiia and Its Public Men. 



297 



He is a native of Philadelphia, having been 
born in that city June 22, 1864. and is the son 
of Archhald and Eleanor S. He passed 
through the various grades of the public school 
system, graduating from the Central High 
School in 1S.S2. Chosing medicine for a pro- 
fession, he took the full course at the Jeffer- 
son Medical College, graduating therefrom in 
the class of 1887. He immediately entered 
upon active practice, and is now located at 
'539 Columbia Avenue, and has built up a 
large private practice. Dr. Cairns has par- 
ticipated in the Republican politics of the 
Twenty-ninth Ward since taking up his pres- 
ent residence, and in 1900 was appointed a 
medical inspector under the Board of Health. 
In 1902 he received the nomination for the 
Legislature, and was elected by a handsome 
majority. He served in the session of 1903. 
and subsequently tendered his resignation in 
order to accept the position of Chief Medical 
Inspector, which office he has filled since 1904. 
Dr. Cairns' social traits and affability makes 
him a prime favorite as the chief of a great 
staff of physicians, and his bureau works un- 
der his direction with a smoothness and effec- 
tiveness that speaks volumes for his adminis- 
tration. He is a member of the Continental 
Club of the Fortv-seventh Ward. 




Herman L. Hecht 

Lawyer and Politician 

Herman L. I leclu hard!y needs an intro- 
duction, as he is so well and favorablv known 

tint nn'-.' I'v '!'•■ 1- "r\' -I'vl !,:!- ],■•:•, n'to in tin- 




PlofM 



Enoch W. Pearson 
' of Music. Board of Public Educalion, Philadelphia 



political arena. Jhe (Quaker City was his 
birthplace, the time was September to, 1878. 

Mr. liecht received a common school edu- 
cation, and in 1893, the bent of his mind 
being in the direction of the law, he entered 
the offices of that well-known lawyer and 
soldier, Gen. Wendell I'. Bowman, with whom 
he subsequently read law. Mr. Hecht com- 
pleted his education at the Temple College, 
and by private instruction in the meanwhile. 
In 1901 he was admitted to the bar of Phila- 
deljjhia County, and subsecpiently was ad- 
mitted to practice in the United States Courts 
and Supreme and Superior Courts of Penn- 
sylvania. Mr. Hecht has always been a stal- 
wart Republican. He has been the author of 
many bills of great importance, and carries 
weight by his sound, logical, and oratorical 
abilities. 

He is a member of the law academy of 
l'liiladeli)hia. and of many fraternal and social 
organizations, and he dates his inception back 
to the political arena when he started to serve 
on the School Board in 1905. In all respects, 
be it said, Mr. Hecht is well and justly en- 
titled to the conspicuous position in this vol- 
ume that is accorded him. 



298 



Pciuisxh'aiiia and Its Public Moi. 



The Baldi Brothers 

Philadelphia 

This is the story of one of the most re- 
markable families of brothers prominent in 
business affairs probably in the United States 
working in a harmonious combination. The 
Baldi brothers are one of the business insti- 
tutions of Philadelphia. Their affairs embrace 




C. C. A. Baldi 

diversified lines: banking, real estate, Trans- 
Atlantic steamship agency, coal, livery stable, 
undertaking, and newspaner publication. This 
remarkable combination comprises five broth- 
ers, viz.: C. C. A. Baldi, Joseph F. M., Vu- 
gilio A., Guerrino, and Alfonso. The family 
is an old one in Italy, the father still alive, 
now retired, was a contractor and a ware- 
houseman in the Province of Salerno, where 
the five boys were born. Charles was born 
December 2, 1862, and, coming to Philadelphia 
in 1877, settled at Eighth and Christian Streets, 
which has since been largely the center of the 
business activities of the brothers. The for- 
mer began his business career as a fruit dealer 
in the old Spring Garden Street market, and 
met with such success that he was joined by 
his two brothers, Vugi'io and Joseph. They 
pooled their issues and in 1884 a retail coal 
business was established on Washington Ave- 
nue. In the subsequent years the under- 
taking and liverv stable and the real estate 



interests were successfully launched, and lastly 
the banking business was added to the chain. 
Vugilio took charge of the coal department, 
Joseph the undertaking and livery, and Charles 
the banking and real estate, the title of the 
firm being the Baldi Brothers. As an incident 
of the long strike in 1892 the firm received 
the first Philadelphia consignment of coal 
after peace was declared, the cars being met 
at the yard with a band and a public jollifica- 
tion. The two younger brothers. Guerrino and 
Alfonso, joined the combination within the 
last ten years. Joseph is regarded as the good 
Samaritan of the family, as he is always at 
the call of poor Italians who may be in dis- 
tress. In 1906 all "the varied interests, with 
the exception of the banking, were amalga- 
mated and incorporated as the C. C. A. Baldi 
Brothers & Company, with a capital of $300,- 
000, the stock being held in the family. The 
banking department established in 1903, was 
left as the Italian Exchange Bank, C. C. A. 
Baldi & Brothers, proprietors. Charles is 
president of both, Vugilio secretary, and 
Joseph trasurer, embracing the three brothers 
who started and developed the enterprises. It 
enjoys an excellent credit, and is the corre- 
spondent of the Commercial Bank of Naples, 
through which hundreds of thousands are 
transferred to Italy or received from that 
country. In connection with it is an agency 
for the sale of steamship tickets, the firm be- 
ing the sole representative in Philadelphia of 
the Cunard Line, all other agencies being sub- 
servient. The real estate department is an 
important adjunct, and does a large volume 
of business, having American clients seeking 
investments as well as Italian. The under- 
taking branch is said to be the largest in the 
city. It occupies a colossal building, 65 by 
300. loii to 1017 S. Eighth Street. All the 
modern appliances are found in it. It was 
formally occupied as the site of a tannery, 
the stench of which was offensive, and it was 
really to abate this nuisance that the Baldi 
Brothers bought the property and invested 
many thousands in the new structure. It 
has a large filter plant which furnishes coal 
and pure water free to the people, and which 
is a great blessing to the poor. Charles, in 
1883. married Louise E. Sobernheimer, of an 
old Pennsylvania German family. While an 
active and influential Republican, he has de- 
clined to accept public office. He is the 
founder of a number of Italian beneficial so- 
cieties, and the owner and publisher of an 
Italian daily newspaper, L'Opinionc. Upon 
the occasion of the visit of Duke Abruzzi, he, 
with Mayor Warwick, escorted him from his 
hotel to the great reception given him in the 
Academy of Music. He was an aide on the 
staffs of chief marshals of the inaugural pa- 



Pciiiis\'lvatiia and Its Pitblic Men. 



299 



rades of Presidents Rooseve!t and Taft. He 
is a member of the Manufacturers', Young 
Republican, and Pen and Pencil and Pencoyd 
Clubs, and is a prominent Mason. Was a 
member of the committee that held the Re- 
publican National Convention in Philadelphia 
in 1900, and raised $100,000 for the purpose. 
He is Manager of the House, of Refuge. He 
was instrumental in having Columbus Day 
made a legal holiday. Mr. Baldi was the 
leader in the movement to assist the sufferers 
of the Messina earthquake, and he is Presi- 
dent of the Federation of Italian Societies 
which assists unfortunate compatriots to re- 
turn to Italy. On April ig, 1907, he was 
made, by King Emanuel, a chevalier of Italy 
for his great services to his countrymen. In 
recognition of this honor, on June 13. 1907, 
he was accorded a testimonial dinner at the 
Union League, which was one of the most 
notable functions ever given in the city, and 
was the recipient of a magnificent watch. 
Mr. Charles Raldi is one of nature's noble- 
man and a prince among men. 



Col. Thomas Johnston Keenan 

Col. Thomas Johnston Keenan is a promi- 
nent journalist of the smoky city, where he 
was born on November 22, 1859, and is the 
son of the late Col. J. Keenan, who was a 
prominent member of the Allegheny County 
bar, and dates his ancestry back on the ma- 
ternal side to 1664, when his ancestors came 
to America with William Penn, from whose 
only surviving child. Guliclma Penn, the Gas- 
gill family are descended. 

The subject of this sketch was educated at 
the Western University of Pennsylvania, and 
in 1880 became a reporter on the Morning 
Times, and in '83 was made editor of that 
paper. He matle rapid strides in j,ournalistic 
work and helped organize the International 
League of Press Clubs, a body which embraces 
upwards of 4000 city newspaper men and 
women, of which he was first President, being 
subsequently elected President a number of 
times. He is upon the Board of Directors of 
the World's Bureau of Press Association, and 
in 1897 he was honored by being sent to Stock- 
holm as the first American representative. 
He was also first President of the Publishers' 
Press Association, and afterward became the 
principal owner of the Pittsburg Press, this 
being the first paper in the history to interest 
itself in public philanthropy, this paper being 
the instrumental factor in raising the fund of 
$40,000 for the erection of the Pittsburg News- 
boys' Home. Numerous other philanthropic 
work was done in this direction, and Colonel 



Keenan is justly regarded as a pioneer in this 
respect. Colonel Keenan served for eleven 
years in a local regiment of the National 
Guard of Pennsylvania from every rank from 
private to Lieutenant-Colonel, and was trans- 
ferred from the regiment to the staff of Gov- 
ernor Stone during his term of office. He 
prepared a splendid display made by his State 
when he was appointed Secretary and Execu- 
tive Commission of the Pennsylvania Commis- 
sion to the Atlantic Ex])osition of 1895. He 
handled the finances so successfullv that when 




the commission wound up its atYairs he was 
enabled to turn a balance of $7000 back into 
the State Treasury. 

The colonel has a magnificent plantation of 
7000 acres as a winter home, which is located 
in the Isle of Pines, and which is known as 
Biazo I'urcte. He is President also of Isle 
of I'ines Bank and of the Isle of Pines Steam- 
ship Company. While the colonel is retired 
from active journalism, he still has an exten- 
sive newspaper interest in his native city, and 
is the owner of the well-known Keenan Build- 
ing, which is eighteen stories high of striking 
architecture, and which is topped by a 60-foot 
dome upon which is jjerched an .American 
eagle. It houses among its tenants the Cham- 
ber of Commerce, Postal Telegraph-Cable 
Company, The Otis Elevator Company. R. G. 
Dun Company, and many concerns of like 
prominence. 



300 



Pciiiisvhaiiia and Its Public Men. 



Hon. Howard Carrow 

Camden 

Howard Carrow is a conspicuous and bril- 
liant figure at the bar of New Jersey, a pro- 
found lawyer, a diligent student and natural 




born orator. As a jury lawyer it is admitted 
that he has few equals in the State, and as a 
judge he brought to the bench a profundity of 
learning and an admirable judicial bearing. 
In the political area he is recognized as one 
of the Democratic leaders of the State and a 
man for whom high political honors await. 
Judge Carrow is a native of Camden and was 
born September 30, i860. He was educated 
at an academy at Bridgeton, New Jersey, and 
Philadelphia. The bent of his mind being in 
the direction of the law, he entered upon its 
study under the direction of the famous prac- 
titioner, Thomas B. Harned, formally of Cam- 
den, but now of Philadelphia. He was ad- 
mitted to the bar in June of 1882, and became 
a counsellor three years later. He enjoys a 
general practice, and is a member of the 
higher courts of the State, the Federal Courts, 
and of the Supreme Court of the United 
States. In 1892 he was appointed Judge of 
the District Court of Camden County, and 
served with great credit for several years. 
Judge Carrow is famed as a political plat- 
form orator, and his services are always in 
great demand in State and national cam- 
paigns. He is a member of the Democratic 



State Committee, and was a delegate to the 
Democratic National Conventions of 1904 and 
1908. He is the counsel for a number of im- 
portant corporations, and he has figured in 
many noted cases before the courts. Judge 
Carrow is conceded to be the next Democratic 
candidate for Governor, as he is one of the 
most popular Democrats of the State. He re- 
sides at Merchantviile. 



A Bright Piece of Repartee 

John Arthur Joseph, a newspaper man, 
well known on Wail Street, New York, as a 
financial editor, and who was antagonistic to 
the trusts once, had an occasion to, what is 
known in newspaper parlance, "rip the offi- 
cials of the corporations." In this connection 
he once wrote an article upon the Standard 
Oil Company, and he felt very bitter toward 
the late Mr. H. H. Rogers, a magnate of that 
ciMnpany, who then had their offices at No. 26 
Broadway, and in the article, which was a 
lengthy one, he referred to Mr. H. H. Rogers 
in these terms : — 

H. H. Rogers, S-O-B (Standard Oil Bun- 
combe), and sent his paper, Joseph's Finan- 
cial Ncii's, upon the street containing the 
article. Hardly ten minutes elapsed when 
Mr. Joseph was the recipient of this note : — 
J. Arthur Joseph. 

Edison Building, New York, N. Y. 

Sir: Your scurrilous article has just been 
drawn to my attention, but then what could 
one expect to emanate from the pen of one 
who is a descendant of those who are respon- 
sible for the crucifixion of Christ. 
Yours truly. 

H. H. Rogers. 

The writer hanpened in Mr. Joseph's office 
this particular time, and was handed the com- 
munication from Rogers. He read it and re- 
turned it to Mr. Joseph, who said. "\\'hat 
would you do in a case of this kind ?" The 
reply was, "Treat it with supreme contempt." 
"No," said Joseph, "I'll be damned if I do," 
and calling a stenographer, he said, "Take this 
letter." 
H. H. Rogers, Esq., 

26 Broadway, New York, N. Y. 

Sir: Your letter of even date has just 
reached me. Communications of this de- 
scription usually find their way to the edi- 
torial waste paper baske.. but yours does call 
for some reply. Yes, 'tis true, I am a de- 
scendant of the race of people who were 
responsible for the crucifixion of the Savior, 
but come to think of it, Christ did not die 
alone ; you and your family were well repre- 
sented. 

Yours very truly, 

John Arthur Joseph. 



Feiinsvlvaiiia and Its Public Men. 



301 



George T. Parker 

Resident Vice-President Title Guarantee & Surety Co. 

The Inisincss of issuing surety bonds is a 
very large one. and this branch of business 
is most ably represented by the I'arkcr Com- 




pany, located at 207 Pennsylvania Building, 
Fifteenth and Chestnut Streets, of which Mr. 
George T. Parker is the executive head. 

The home office of the Title Guarantee 
Surety Company is located at Scranton. Penn- 
sylvania, and has a capital and surplus of 
upwards of $1,000,000, comprising fidelity. 
judicial, contract, and official bonds. Mr. 
George T. Parker, the subject of this sketch, 
besides maintaining his Philadelphia office, 
also maintains an office at 203 Colmo Build- 
ing, Washington, D. C. He is in the prime 
of life, having been born on January ig. i860, 
in the Quaker City, and is the son of William 
T. Parker and I'^lmira W. Parker. His edu- 
cation was received in the public schools of 
Washington, D. C. and when but a boy he 
entered into the general surety and bonding 
business, and his career has been one signal 
success. Mr. Parker has never held any po- 
litical office, although he has always been a 
stalwart Republican, and by reason of his 
close adherence to the Republican party and 
its members, he to-day is recognized as one 
of the leading factors in his profession. It 
is not alone in Philadelphia that he is recog- 
nized as a staunch Republican, but also in 



New York. Chicago, and Washington, being a 
member of the Republican Club of Xew ^'ork, 
the Hamilton Club of Chicago, and Pennsyl- 
vania Republican Club of Washington, D. C. 
Mr. Parker finds but little time to devote to 
the social affairs in any one of the cities before 
enumerated, but for the last four years has 
been on the wailing list f)f the Cnion r,eague, 
of Philadelphia, Pa. 



Joseph O'Brien 

Scranton 

Joseph O'Brien, who is one of the leaders 
of the bar of Lackawanna County, is a 
splendid example of the self-made man of 
which this work contains not a few. It is a 
proud boast of many men of affluence and 
distinction in the Pennsylvania coal regions 
that they have come up from the ranks of the 
slate pickers, and among them is Mr. O'Brien. 

His parents, when he was born April 16, 
1861, were of humble life in the mining village 
of Winton, Lackawanna County. .\s a boy he 
was sent to the breaker to pick slate from 
the coal, and in the winter attended the public 
school. He was imbued, however, with the 
determination to better his condition and to 
acquire an education, and in the hours when 
his youthful associates were at play he was 
devoting him.self to his books. He thus self- 
prepared himself to teach in the public schools, 
and with the view of entering the profession 
of the law he saved enough of his salary to 
enable him to enter as a student the law offices, 
in Scranton, of the late Judge John P. Con- 
nelly, one of the finest lawyers the county of 
Lackawanna ever produced. His admission to 
the bar came in 1883. He then formed a part- 
nership with the Hon. John P. Kelly, later one 
of the Judges of the Lackawanna Courts. 
The new firm sprang into immediate success. 
Since then he has been associated with M. J. 
Martin, Esq. In IQ04 W. J. Fitzgerald. F.sq.. 
was added to the firm, and which is regarded 
as one of the strongest law firms in .\orlh- 
eastern Penn.sylvania. The offices arc rooms 
310-11, Mears Building. Mr. O'Brien is justly 
regarded as among the leaders in criminal 
practice, and has figured in all the important 
criminal trials in the county for the past 
eighteen years. He is most etTective. forcible, 
and elo(|uent as a pleader, and is noted for the 
thoroughness of preparation of his cases. 

Mr. O'Brien has been actively i<lentified 
with the politics of Lackawamia as a Demo- 
crat since 1885. In igo6 Mr. O'Brien received 
the nomination for tlie office of District .Xt- 
torney. for which position he was most emi- 
nently qualified. 



302 



Pciiiisxli'aitia and Its Public Men. 



Hotel Hanover 

William C. Richardson and Roy Richardson, Proprietors 

The accompany illustrations are the genial 
proprietors of the new Hotel Hanover, and 
Royal Apartments, the former of which is 
located at Twelfth and Arch Streets, the lat- 




WiLI.IAjM C. RlCHAKDSON 

ter being located at Broad and Girard Ave- 
nue. Mr. Williain C. Richardson is a hotel 
man of life-long experience and has a repu- 
tation throughout the entire United States as 
being a genial host. In assuming control of 
the Royal Apartments he has added much 
to the cares of the already busy man, and 
feeling as he does, and knowing as we do, 
that he has a capable assistant in his son. 




Rov Richardson 

Mr. Roy Richarson, they, with their combined 
efforts, will put the Royal Apartments upon 
the same high plane as has been accomplished 
with the New Hotel Hanover. 

A word or two about the Hanover. It is 
so well and favorably known that it hardly 
needs anv comment. It is known all over the 



United States not only by the "drummer," 
but also to those who come to the "City of 
Brotherly Love" for the various conventions 
and who invariably make a bee-line for this 
famous hostelry. Its location is ideal. One 
can go anywhere or everywhere to any point 
in the city from its doors, as it is close to the 
railroads and street cars; in other words, 
it is within easy access to every point. 

The Messrs. Richardson, seeing how very 
essentia! it was, not only that accessibility but 
comfort should be given to its patrons, a 
short while ago remodelled and refurnished, 
at the cost of upwards of $150,000, and it is 
to-day justly regarded as being on a par, if 
not superior, to many of the first-class hotels 
throughout the country. 

With reference to the Royal Apartments. 
Hammerstein did very much for the city when 
he built the famous (Jpera House, but it was 
left to the hotel men to cater to its patrons, 
and the Messrs. Richardson are fully capable 
of meeting their wants and requirements, and 
have already set to work by engaging a com- 
petent staff of assistants who have demon- 
strated their ability in this direction. 




John Wesley Durham 

Member of the Board of Revision of Taxes 
Pfiiladelpfiia 



Poiiisxh'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



303 



J. Clifford Wilson 

T. Clifford Wilson is President of James S. 
W'ilson & Son, Incorporated. 44 X. Seventh 
Street. He is universally known to the trade. 




and has developed the business, through his 
strenuous energies and genius, until it is now. 
not only the largest of its kind in Philadelphia 
and in Pennsylvania, but is conceded to be the 
greatest in the United States, giving employ- 
ment as it does, to hundreds of journeymen 
painters. Contracts are taken in all parts of 
the country, many prominent buildings hav- 
ing been finished under his supervision. He 
maintains large and commodious offices at 44 
X. Seventh Street. Mr. W'ilson comes of 
Quaker origin. He was born in Philadelphia. 
October 9. i860, and is now in the ver\' priine 
of life. His education was received in the 
Friends' Central School, after which he joined 
his father in the painting business, which was 
established in 1851. This business he pur- 
chased from his father in 1890. and incorpo- 
rated in 1902. Mr. Wilson's business activi- 
ties are not solely confined to his colossal 
painting interest, but he is largely interested 
in the mining of bituminous coal, being the 
owner of extensive coal bearing tracts in Som- 
erset County. Pa., also connected with the 
Quemahoning Coal Co.. a corporation well 
known in the trade. .-Xside frofti these impor- 
tant interests. Mr. Wilson is a large dealer 
in real estate in Philadelphia and Cape May, 



and he possesses great faith in the future of 
Cape May as a seaside resort. He has done 
much toward its development and beautifica- 
tion. He is an enthusiastic yachtsman, and is 
Commodore of the Cape May Yacht Club; 
also member of the Union League of Phila- 
delphia and the Jewelers' Club; also a Direc- 
tor of the .-Mdine Trust Company. 



George J. Stegmair 

Wilkes-Barre 

George J. Stegmair has been intimately con- 
nected with the business, political and social 
life of Wilkes-Barre and Luzerne County 
since 1880. at least. He is the son of Charles 
and Katherine (Baer). The former, born in 
1S21, came from Wurtemberg. Germany, in 
1849. he having there learned the brewing 
business and served with Louis Bergdoll in 
Philadelphia, going to Wilkes-Barre in 1857, 
when, with John Richard, he made the first 
beer that was brewed in that section of the 
State. He then went to Pottsville for a short 
time, and returning to Wilkes-Barre. in con- 
junction with George Baer, established the 
present plant there which has grown to large 
proportions. George J. was born in Wilkes- 
Barre April 4, 1858. His education was ac- 
quired at St. Xichol's Parochial School. St. 
\'incent's College and W'yoming Seminary. 
.After graduation he entered the machine shops 
of the Xew Jersey Central Railroad at Ashley 
as an apprentice, and subsequently as a jour- 
neyman was employed in the Pennsylvania 
Railroad shops at .\ltoona. Later he became 
connected with his father's establ'shnient as 
bookkeeper, collector and general office worker, 
and is now a membL-r of the comnany. serving 
as Secretary. He is also financially interested 
in a number of the lead ng enterprises in the 
city and countv. Mr. Stegmair early identified 
himself with the Democratic party, and in 188S 
was elected to the Legislature by the largest 
majority ever given in Luzerne for a candidate 
for that office. During the session of 1889 he 
had the distinction of entertaining a special 
train load of his friends, accompaned by a 
brass band, who went to Harrisburg to see him 
in his role of Statesman. He has been a mem 
her of the Wilkes-Barre Fire Department for 
sixteen years, two of which he was its chief. 
In May. 1905. he was unanimously elected City 
Treasurer, succeeding James Stark, and served 
for several years with honor and credit. Mr. 
Stegmair is a great lover and patron of out- 
door and all athletic sports, and is a member 
of a number of social organizations. He is 
the father of five children, one Louis, who is 
dead, the living bring Katherine, George J., 
Christian and Teddv. 



304 



F^ciinsYlz-ania and Its Public Men. 



Col. James Bingham Coryell 

Col. James B. Coryell is now the Senior 
Colonel in the National Guard of Pennsylva- 
nia, and his military career extends over a 
period of twenty-eight years. He is promi- 
nentlv iilcnlificd with the senii-hituminons coal 




trade, as was his father before him, and he 
is a member of the bar. He is of a distin- 
guished ancestry, on his father's side French 
Huguenot. The family had representatives in 
the War of the Revolution, and his great- 
great-grandfather, Gen. John Burrows, had 
the first contract for carrying the mail by 
relays between Philadelphia and New York. 
When it began the mail matter from either 
city could be grasped with the fingers of one 
hand. His father's parents were born at 
Coryell's Ferry on the Delaware River, op- 
posite New Hope, Pa. His grandfather 
moved to Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, 
where his father, John B., was born. The 
latter is still living at the age of 87 years, 
and is now the oldest resident of Williams- 
port. He is one of its leading business men 
and President of the Lycoming National 
Bank. Colonel Coryell's mother, Margaret 
Bingham, was the daughter of James Bing- 
ham, who was engaged in the transportation 
business between Philadelphia and Pittsburg, 
by wagon, before the era of railroads, and 
was the sister of Gen. H. H. Bingham, of 



Philadelphia. Colonel Coryell was born at 
Williamsport, Pa., September 4, 1856. He 
was educated at the Episcopal Academy, 
Cheshire, Conn. Deciding upon the law as 
a profession, he studied under Armstrong & 
Linn, and the Hon. H. C. Parsons, leading 
lawyers of Williamport, and was admitted to 
the Lycoming bar in 18S0. Colonel Coryell 
became active as a Republican, and took such 
high standing in his profession that he was 
elected District Attorney in 1881, a year after 
his admission to the bar, and continued until 
1884. He was a member of the Legislature 
of the session of 1897. In 18S1 he enlisted 
as a private in the Twelfth Regiment, and 
received promotions to ist and 2d Sergeants, 
2d Lieutenant, and then was made a Major 
on the Staff of Brigadier-General J. P. S. 
Gobin. He was, on August 25, 1889, Colonel 
of the Twelfth Regiment. N. G. P., command- 
ing it for ten years. During the Spanish- 
American War Colonel Coryell and his regi- 
ment were mustered into the service of the 
United States, and held at the Reserve Camp 
at Falls Church, Virginia. It was subse- 
quently mustered out at Middletown, Penn- 
sylvania. He took up his permanent residence 
in Philadelphia in 1899, and was admitted to 
practice. In 1902 Colonel Coryell was elected 
Colonel of the Sixth Regiment of Philadel- 
phia, which was a great compliment to a new- 
resident of the city, and he has brought it 
up to a high point of efficiency. He is now 
engaged in bituminous coal mining, and is 
President of the Cambria Coal Mining Com- 
pany, the Short Line Coal Company, and the 
Cook Coal and Coke Company, the two last 
being West Virginia enterprises. He is a 
member of the Union League, the Art Club, 
and the Germantown Cricket Club. 



How Bryan's Defeat in 1908 Can Be 
Traced to Pennsylvania 

The naked statement that the collapse of 
\\illiam Jennings Bryan and the election of 
Judge Taft to the Presidency of the United 
.States in iqo8 can be traced to an office in the 
State Capitol Building at Harrisburg sounds 
so grotesque as to stamp it either as a political 
romance or an untruth, but it is an historical 
fact, with the proofs at hand to establish it. 
I may add that this Pennsylvania connection 
will explain why this story finds a place in 
this volume. And there is an additional rea- 
son in the additional fact that the election of 
Judge Taft \j^s very largely brought about 
through the political genius and manipulation 
of a Pennsylvanian who, from that office in 
Harrisburg received the cue to an issue. 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



303 



which, worked out and exploited by experi- 
enced campaigners, caused the Democratic 
vote of Boston, New York, Buffalo, Chicago, 
Baltimore and other great cities and indus- 
trial centers to melt away like a hoar frost 
before a rising sun in the last hours of a 
campaitin that was so full of golden promise 
and confulence to the now thrice defeated as- 
pirant for the Presidential office. A few 
weeks prior to the close of the campaign a 
female typewriter employed in the office of 
the .State Factory Inspector in the Capitol 
Building happened to notice in the office mail 
one morning spread upon a desk at which she 
was working, a newspaper with a liig black 
ribbon of type stretched across its first page. 
Mnough of it in the folding was exposed to 
excite her curiosity and she opened it. The 
paper was addressed to a Methodist preacher 
who was connected with the department. 
There were, in fact, two ribbons, a larger one 
reading — "Betrayed to the Roman Hier- 
archy." and the lesser, '"How the Philippines 
were Bought from the Pope, and then Given 
Back to Him for Favors to the Republican 
Machine." 

The name of the jiaper was the Appeal to 
Reason, published in the town of Girard, 
State of Kansas, and the organ of the Debs 
faction of the Socialists-Labor party. 

Captain Delaney, Chief Factory Inspector, 
was then engaged at the National Republican 
headquarters in Xew York City. His Har- 
risburg assistant immediately mailed the 
paper to him. believing that it would prove 
useful, and it did. It was received by him 
and an examination showed that it contained 
columns of abuse of fudge I'aft in an en- 
deavor to connect him in a political deal with 
the Pope over the Philippines and the Friar's 
lands, while other columns were devoted to 
vile testimony taken by Judge Taft's Philip- 
pine Commission reflecting upon the moral 
lives of the Catholic clergy and members of 
the Catholic orders in the islands. Captain 
Delaney described the paper as "The bright- 
est and best political jewel he ever received." 

The attention of the Republican national 
managers was called directly to the paper, and 
the great possibilities of capturing through it 
the Democratic Catholic vote of the country 
were pointed out to them, but they declined to 
take the matter up officially, leaving it in the 
hands of Michael Kerwin, of Xew York, and 
Captain Delaney. These veteran campaigners 
immediately instituted an investigation and 
learned that a million or more copies of this 
number of the Appeal to Reason had been 
mailed to the Protestant clergymen and active 
churchmen throughout the United States. 

The Xational Republican managers were at 
this time in the dumps, as Bryan was in the 
20 



air everywhere and a million and a half of 
idle and fretful men were prepared to vote 
for him. This, together with the discontent 
among the capitalistic classes, the manufact- 
urers and the railroaders, together with Presi- 
dent Roosevelt's anti-trust and anti-corpora- 
tion policies added greatly to their apprehen- 
sion. .-\nd again Judge Taft's membership in 
the Unitarian Church, which is regarded as 
an outlaw by the Orthodo.x sects, increased 
the anxiety as their clergy had begun to make 
of it a campaign issue. General Kerwin and 
Captain Delaney. before the ai)pearance of 
this attack in the Appeal to Reason, were 
working an endless chain program on the 
tariff question with the Irish-.Xmerican voters, 
but this was side-tracked for this new "find." 
The first move to utilize it was to have a 
duplicate of the pancr prepared in Xew York, 
resembling it physica'ly in every detail and 
more than a million copies were printed. The 
two campaigners submitted copies of the 
paper to prominent Catholic clergymen and 
laymen in .\ew ^'ork and elsewhere, and their 
indignation was aroused and their interest im- 
mediately arrested. It was believed that the 
attack was inspired by Bryan or by some one 
highly connected with his campaign, and that 
the funds for the printing and distribution of 
such an enormous number of the paper were 
supplied from the Bryan war chest. 

Official registers of the Irish-American so- 
cieties and the official Catholic Church record 
were procured and the work of supplying the 
faithful with copies of the paper was placed 
in the hands of patriotic Irish societies. But 
the Irish-.\mericans, who are solemnly bound 
to resent such assaults upon their church and 
clergy, w-ere not so scrupulous about the plan. 
All they wanted was the anununition in order 
that they might teach the men who were thus 
interjecting religion into politics an ever en- 
during lesson. On the Friday preceding elec- 
tion day a copy of the Appeal to Reason was 
mailed to every distinctive Irish Catholic 
voter whose name appeared upon the regis- 
tration lists of voters of Greater Xew York, 
together with a circular, of which the follow- 
ing is a copy : 

"Our motto: 'With malice toward none, 
and charity for all." 

"The Defe.vder's Le.\gve. 
"Read, Ponder and Reflect: 

"Periodically, and particularly during the 
trying times of a political campaign, the 
hybrid monster of bigotry and intolerance, 
crawls out of its foul nest and leaves its slimy 
track along the political highways of free 
.America. How such a poisonous reptile can 
breathe the pure air of our glorious country 
is beyond ordinary comprehension: but it 



306 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



does; and it evidently is battened and fed 
from most unexpected sources. 

"With due apologies, we feel compelled to 
forward you this putrid mass, because it is 
doubtful, that you would believe any man's 
mere word that such a vile publication were 
possible. As you can see this infamous at- 
tack is aimed, as usual, at the Roman Catholic 
Church; but its animus is especially directed 
at Hon. William H. Taft, the candidate for 
President on the Republican ticket, simply be- 
cause this splendid specimen of American 
manhood emphasized the fundamental prin- 
ciples upon which our free institutions are 
founded, by performing an act of justice in 
the Philippines, in which well defined rights 
of the Catholic Church were involved. 

"This 'supposed' newspaper has it's habita- 
tion in the remote town of Girard, Kansas, 
with its 2513 inhabitants. It has no visible 
means of support, and yet more than one mil- 
lion copies of this foul issue has been dis- 
tributed, requiring a vast outlay of money for 
postage, etc. 

"Where did the money come from to pur- 
chase this vampire ? No sane man will be- 
lieve the Republican party guilty of such a 
vile attack on its own standard-bearer. Will 
this foul work succeed? W'e believe not. 

"You have the weapon in your possession 
which can. and should, wipe out this nest of 
vipers. The ballot is more powerful than the 
bullet, because it has more lasting influence, 
and is our rightful and legal weapon. 

"Vote for Hon. William H. Taft for Presi- 
dent and you will go on record as being op- 
posed to hypocrisy and bigotry. He deserves 
yours as well as your friend's support, be- 
cause of the degrading opposition he has 
aroused. 

"This circular, issued by the Defender's 
League, has no connection whatever with any 
political party. 

"TiiE Defender's LE.\r,uE, 
"P. O. Box 217, Brooklyn, N. Y." 

By Saturday evening the faithful had re- 
ceived, in a sealed envelope and under a two- 
cent stamp, the paper which they found to 
contain the vilest attack ever made on their 
church and clergy. So cleverly was the work 
done that even the lynx-eyed scouts of Tam- 
many failed to discover it until some of its 
members began swearing aloud on Monday 
and on Monday night previous to the election 
against the brutality that permitted such das- 
tardly attacks on their faith and clergy. The 
wigwam chiefs appealed to their followers to 
stand by Bryan, but they were laughed at and 
told bluntly that "rro power short of heaven 
could prevent the Irish and the Jew from sup- 
porting Taft and Sherman." A careful read- 
ing of the circular, which accompanied the 



paper, will show the fine hand of a Tallyrand, 
and how impossible it was for Catholic or Jew 
to support Bryan when Democracy's position 
on the religious question was understood by 
those people. 

While the endless chain was going round 
from one Catholic organization to another, 
Kerwin and Delaney paid their respects to the 
stupid attack, by the Bryan management, on 
Taft's religion. Captain Delaney described 
that onslaught as next in importance to the 
attack on his church and clergy. Kerwin and 
Delaney, ever on the alert to deal sledge- 
hammer blows, finding their endless chain 
working like a charm, turned their attention 
to the attack on Taft's religion, and so started 
a second endless chain with the Hebrews. 
They proved to the Jews that Taft was at- 
tacked, because like them, he was accused of 
not believing in the Divinity of Christ. Thus 
the second endless chain was going around 
the nation, with the result that there was no 
resisting the tide that was raised by the Irish 
and the Jews. When Tuesday morning, No- 
vember 3d dawned, Bryan and his religious 
intolerance and his free-trade folly were 
doomed to meet a crushing defeat. Even the 
Gibraltar of Democracy, Greater New York, 
was torn from her Democratic moorings and 
landed squarely in the Taft column. Thus 
from a little acorn a colossal oak did .grow. 
And so we have the sequel of the phenomenal 
result in Greater New York which so stag- 
gered and amazed even all, but a few Re- 
publicans. President Roosevelt knew what 
was going on when he declared that "we have 
them beaten to a frassle," while he had no 
special or particular knowledge of how the 
trick was to be turned, yet he had unbounded 
confidence in the men who were leading the 
assault, and in that respect the Republican 
organization was pre-eminently the masters 
of the situation. They were able to double 
discount the Bryan managers at all stages of 
the game. 



George A. Persch 

George A. Persch is a widely known and ac- 
tive Republican of the Seventh Ward. He is 
a native of New York, having been born at 
Brighton, Staten Island. June 6, 1869. His 
parents removed to Philadelphia when he was 
young, and his education was acquired in the 
Grammar and the Boys' High School, he grad- 
uating from the latter in 1862. He w-as first 
employed in the drug business and then en- 
tered politics. He is treasurer of the Seventh 
Ward Republican Executive Committee and a 
member of tire Senate Club. 



[\viiis\l'-i'aiiia and fts Public Men. 



307 



Harry S. Wright 

Marry S. W'riglit, wlio has been connected 
with the City Treasurer's Office of Philadel- 
phia for a number of years, is a man of wide 
acquaintanceship and the central figure of a 
large circle of friends who esteem him for 
his rare sncial fni;i!itir>;. He !•; nn active 




spirit in the Republican party of the Thirty- 
eight Ward, and has for many years repre- 
sented the Sixth Division in the Ward Execu- 
tive Committee. He was born in Philadel- 
phia August 13. 1S56, and is the son of 
Thomas C. and Emma S. Wright. The pub- 
lic schools afforded him his education, and 
in 1870 he graduated therefrom to begin the 
battle of life as an errand boy with the Per- 
kin's Company on South Xinth Street. He 
then went to the trade of a bookbinder with 
the great house of Lipi)incott. and pursued his 
trade there as a journeyman for several years. 
He subsequently was employed with Morrison 
& Sons, lithographers. In the meantime he 
took a keen interest in the affairs of the Re- 
Iiublican party of his ward, and his activity 
and worth brought to him the appointment of 
bookkeeper in the office of the City Treas- 
urer. His capable services in that position 
caused his promotion to the receiving teller- 
ship, and in IQ06 he was selected by City 
Treasurer P>ringhurst for the responsible po- 
sition of Chief Clerk. 

Mr. Wright is a prominent Mason and of 



the thirty-second degree. He is a Past Mas- 
ter of Keystone Lodge. Xo. 271, member of 
Columbia Chapter. .\o. 91. He is also an Odd 
Fellow^ and is the representative of the Charles 
Freeman Lodge in the (irand Lodge, and is 
also a re])resentative in the Crand Lodge, 
Royal .\rcainmi. He is also a member of the 
Lincoln Club of the Thirty-eight Ward, and 
iif the Thirty-eight Ward Republican Club. 



George W. Young 

Pliiladelphia Builder 

George W. Young is one of the most promi- 
nent and extensive master builders in the city 
<if Philadelphia, and during the course of his 
business career he has erected a small city 
of dwelling houses. He is of German de- 
scent; his family settled in Philadelphia soon 
after the War of the Revolution. His grand- 
father was a soldier in the War of 1812 in the 
Pennsylvania Regiment of the Line. The 
family were truckers in the southern section 
of the city, and made the business very profit- 
able. George W. \'oung was born and reared 
on one of these farms, and remained occu- 
pied in that pursuit until he was twenty-five 
years old. He then secured a truck farm 
of his own. located at what is now Twelfth 
and Wolf Streets, and remained there until 
the advance of the city's growth met his 
flourishing acres. He then abandoned farm- 
ing and entered upon a new' career, that of 
master builder. He began the erection of 
houses on the eight acres that were occu- 
pied by his farm, and that was eighteen years 
ago. .After this operation Mr. Young began 
to branch out in an extensive way. and 
bought up ten or fifteen of the old truck 
farms in the southern section, and erected 
thereon modern dwellings. He has put up 
over 2300 houses in the Twenty-sixth, Thirty- 
sixth, and Thirty-ninth Wards. He is re- 
garded as one of the fathers of the new down- 
town. Mr. Young is a director of the Amer- 
ican Rank. He is a Mason of high degree, 
member of William B. Snyder Blue Lodge. 
Xo. 419; Palestine Chapter. Xo. 240: Mary 
Commandcry, Xo. 36: Philadelphia Consis- 
tory, member of the Shrine and Lulu Temple: 
also a member of the Order of FJks. Lodge 
Xo. 2; .Arora South Pbiladelohia Singing So- 
ciety. Philadelphia Schutzen Club, First Ward 
Republican Club, Mr. ^'oung has been active 
and jjrominent in politics, and served for two 
terms in the Connnon Council of the city as 
a member for the Thirty-ninth Ward, and one 
term from the Twenty-sixth Ward. Mr. 
^'oung lives in one of the finest mansions in 
South Philadcli)hia. at 2316 South Broad 
Street. 



308 



Pciiiisyl-cViiia and Its Public Men. 



Isaac D. Hetzell 

Contractor and Councilman 

Isaac D. Hetzell is a product of the Penn 
Treaty Tree Section of Philadelphia, which, 
in the nomenclature of that city, is known 
from yore as "Fishtown." the haven of shad 
and stewed snapper. It is a virtuous and 




clannish district, and vice in none of its gilded 
or repulsive forms has ever been tolerated. 
Its semi-official Mayor is Isaac D. Hetzell. 
The Hetzells have dwelt in the neighborhood 
of the Treaty Tree for generations, and the 
name there is a household word. The father 
of Isaac D. was a master bricklayer of re- 
nown. The son was put to the trade, and 
after acquiring it joined his father in a part- 
nership which lasted until the death of the 
latter. Politics early claimed his allegence, 
and the Rebellion made a union man and a 
Republican of him. For many years he has 
been the natural Republican leader of the 
Eighteenth Ward. He first entered Select 
Council in 1887, and being placed on impor- 
tant committees saw to it that his ward got 
its full, if not more, share of pub'ic improve- 
ments. He brought about the elimination of 
the old Aramingo Canal which menaced the 
health of the people, and he secured appro- 
priations for the preservation of the now 
sacred tree under which Penn bartered with 
the Indians for the site of the greater portion 
of the citv, it now standing in a park. He 



was re-elected to Select Council in l8go and 
in 1893. In 1896 he went into Common Coun- 
cil and in 1899 he swung back into Select 
Council. In the meantime his political pres- 
tige was firmly established both in ward and 
city. He eventually retired from Council- 
manic life in order to devote his entire time 
to his expanding business of a contractor for 
private corporations largely, and in which he 
lias rounded up a competence. In 1908 the de- 
mand upon the part of the people of his ward 
became so insistent that he again consented 
to enter public life, and was elected to his old 
seat in Select Council, which he still retains. 
Mr. Hetzell is the founder of the A. C. Har- 
mer Republican Club, one of the most power- 
ful political organizations in the city, and has 
been its president continuous'y for twenty 
years. He is a high Mason, and a man of 
many social qualities, the life of every com- 
pany and the leader of all public movements 
in his ward. 



Col. James F. Morrison 

James F. Morrison, one of the leaders of 
the Grand Army of Veterans of the Civil 
War, is justly entitled to this distinction by 
reason of his splendid record and his own 
])ersonaltiy. He was one of the first to rush 
to the nation's defense after the attack on 
Fort Sumter. He was a Libby prisoner, and 
the war left him a cripple for years. The 
father and mother of Colonel Morrison were 
horn in Ireland and came to this country in 
a sailing packet, landing in Philadelphia. He 
was born in the old Third Ward. He had 
the benefit of the public schools, and gradu- 
ated at the Boys' High School. His earlier 
years were occupied in mercantile pursuits, 
and immediately upon the firing upon Fort 
.Sumter his patriotic fervor arose, and on 
April 25, 1861, he enlisted in the Second 
Regiment, Company K, under Col. William 
B. Mann, and later commanded by the famous 
"Buck" McCandless of the Pennsylvania 
Reserves. He was enlisted for three years 
and the regiment was attached to the Army 
of the Potomac. Colonel Morrison partici- 
pated in all the battles in which the .Army 
of the Potomac was engaged up to the bloody 
Battle of Fredericksburg, in which he was 
wounded and left upon the field, where he 
was captured by the Confederates and sent 
as a prisoner to the famous Libby Prison at 
Richmond. He was released on parole, Janu- 
ary, 1862. His left leg had been shattered by 
a minnie hall and he was a cripple. He re- 
turned to Philadelphia and occupied himself 
in commercial lines, although he was prac- 
ticallv an invalid for four vears after his 



Pciiiisvk-aiiiii and Its Public Men. 



309 



leaving the army ami until he received an 
appointment in the Tax Receiver's office in 
1890. He was promoted to Chief Clerk by 
Receiver Rooney in 1895, and still continues 
to occupy the place. He is a member of 
George G. Meade Post, No. I, G. A. R., and 
was Assistant Adjutant-General of the Penn- 
sylvania Department for three years; was 
Department Commander in 1899, the year the 
National Encampment was hold in Philadel- 




phia; has been a member of the State Sol- 
diers' Orphan Schools Commission for ten 
years, and in 1909 was reappointed by Gov- 
ernor Stuart. He is a member of the Masonic 
Lodge Integrity. No. 187. member of the anti- 
Cobden Club, the War \'eterans, and has the 
distinction of having a prosperous political 
club in the Third Ward named after him and 
of which he is a member. 



Col. J. Warner Hutchins 

J. Warner Hutchins is one of the leaders 
of the Philadelphia colony of wholesale dia- 
mond merchants, and is established at 72S 
Sansom Street. He is now the oldest dealer 
in that city, and his trade extends throughout 
the United States, his house having custom- 
ers in every city of importance. Colonel 
Hutchins' long experience in handling getiis 
has naturally made him an expert in his line, 
and his services are in constant demand as 
such, his appraisements amounting annually 
to hundreds of thousands of dollars. He is 
always in close touch with the market both at 
home and abroad, and the volume of his im- 
portations is a sure barometer of the condi- 
tions of the country. He makes regular visits 
to .-Xmsterdam and .\ntwerp, which cities fur- 
nish 90 per cent, of the world's output of cut 
and uncut stones, and where he is as well and 
favorably known as he is in Philadelphia. 
Colonel Hutchins comes from an old and 



honored Xew England family which had 
representatives in the War of the Revolution. 
He was born in X'ermont in 1855, but came to 
Philadelphia when a boy, where he received 
his education in the public schools. In 1873 
and at the age of eighteen, he becauu- .-isso- 




ciated witli an uncle m the wholesale diamond 
business, and some years later succeeded him 
in it. Colonel Hutchins has, since attaining 
his majority, been active as a Republican in 
the politics of Philadelphia. He has been 
most favorably considered by the leaders for 
Congressional honors, and his friends are 
more than hopeful that the future have them 
in store for him. Colonel Hutchins is an 
Inspector of the Eastern Penitentiary, an ap- 
Ijointment given him by the Governor, and 
he is an aide-de-camp on the statif of Gov- 
ernor Stuart, with the rank of Lieutenant- 
Colonel. He is also prominent in the Ma- 
sonic fraternity, being a thirty-second degree 
Mason. He is the President of the Jewelers' 
Club, one of the representative -social organi- 
zations of the city, a member of the Union 
League, the Historical Society of Pennsylva- 
nia, the Young Republicans and the Four- 
teenth Ward Republican Clubs. He is also 
an enthusiastic yachtsman, and belongs to the 
Cape May Yacht Club, and of which resort 
he is a summer resident. Colonel Hutchins is 
admired for bis manly .social qualities and his 
square dealing. He is a great lover of out- 
door sports. 



310 



Pciiiisyk'unia and Its I'liblic Men. 



Thomas H. Bambrick 

Thomas H. Bambrick has for some forty 
years enjoyed the distinction of being the 
leader in the employment agency business in 




Philadelphia, and he modestly points to the 
fact that during that time he has found em- 
ployment for over a million people, a record 
that cannot be excelled by any other indi- 
vidual in the United States. He operates 
upon an extensive scale. He supplies hotels, 
cafes, large industrial establishments, steam- 
ships, mines, and private families with help, 
and has supplied men by the hundreds. No 
man has a closer touch with the labor mar- 
ket than he. In connection with the em- 
ployment business he maintains a bureau in 
his offices, 34 N. Seventh Street, for the sale 
of steamship tickets, and represents all the 
Trans-Atlantic lines. In March, 1909, Mr. 
Bambrick incorporated the Pennsylvania La- 
bor Exchange Company with a large capital 
and of which he is President. The E.xchange 
has in contemplation the erection of a mod- 
ern twelve-story building on the present site 
for the accommodation of the growing busi- 
ness. Mr. Bambrick was born at Bustleton. 
Pa., in 1848, and is the son of Thomas and 
Mary Bambrick. He w'as educated in the 
public schools and later went to St. Charles' 
Preparatory Seminary at Glen Riddle, but 
while there his eyesight became impaired by 



too close ap])lication to his studies, and he 
was forced to abandon a clerical career. He 
then entered the grocery Ijusiness at Bustle- 
ton, but the death of his father threw upon 
him the maintainance of a large family, and 
he was obliged to seek a larger means of 
revenue, and so embarked in the employment 
agency business which he has so successfully 
developed. Mr. Bambrick has been for some 
years the publisher of the Hotel Reporter, the 
only publication of its kind in Pennsylvania, 
which enjoys a large share of patronage. Mr. 
Bambrick also devotes his attention to real 
estate, dealing extensively in seashore, farm 
and city properties. As a business man he 
enjoys an enviable reputation, and still in the 
])rime of life, his friends are hopeful that he 
lias many years of usefulness yet before him. 
He is a member of the Catholic Club and the 
Pen and Pencil Club. 



J. Temple Hopple 

Assistant City Solicitor 

J. Temple Hopple came of Chester County 
Quaker stock. His people, while he was an 
infant, came to Philadelphia, where he has 




resided ever since. He came to the bar from 
the office of the late Judge James Lynd; has 
been an active Republican from the time of 
his first vote, and has always been identified 
with the stalwart wing of the organization. 



I'ciiiisxlzviiia and Its Public Men. 



ill 



Has served as a member of the Republican 
State Committee, the City Committee, and 
was for twelve years Secretary of the Seventh 
Ward Republican Ward Committee. Had 
been a close personal and political friend of 
Hon. Israel W. Durham. The only official 
position held by him is the one he has occu- 
pied for seven years, that of Assistant City 
Solicitor. His only sporting diversion is bass 
fishing. By his amiable disposition. kiTidness, 
and courtesy he has many friends in the law 
department, and with those who have business 
transactions with the department, all of whom 
wish him future advancement. 



Charles H. Bergner 

Harrisburg 

Charles H. Bergner, one of the leaders of 
the bar of Dauphin County, has been promi- 
nent in the affairs of Harrisburg for many 
years, and is one of a group of lawyers of that 
citv that has figured in manv notable and 




famous State cases. His lather was a man ol 
affairs before him, and he has perpetuated the 
family's prestige and good name. For a num- 
ber of years he was identified with the Harris- 
burg Telegraph, and made it the potential jour- 
nalistic Republican authority of the State 
capital. Xever seeking public office. Mr. 



Bergner is a man of independent political con- 
victions and action, and is a man of great force 
of character. He is noted for his loyalty to 
his friends and iiis cause, and enjoys an ex- 
tensive and lucrative practice. 



Hon. Oscar E. Th 



omson 




Oscar E. Thomson. State Senator of Penn- 
sylvania from Chester County, has climbed the 
ladder of success through the merits of a 
strong individuality, business acumen and an 
untiring industry, l-'or a number of years he 
has been a potential force in the politics of his 
native county, and his influence has extended 
far beyond it. He was born at Pha>nixvillc. 
November 14. 1862, and was educated to the 
profession of a civil engineer. 

In 1S98 he was elected Recorder of Deeds 
of Chester County, and serving a term was 
elected to the Senate in 1904. and re-elected 
in 1908. Was a member of the Republican 
State Committee from 1895 to 1897. and has 
served as a delegate to a number of Republican 
State conventions. 

Mr. Thomson is a director of the Royersford 
Trust Company, and is connected with a num- 
ber of building and manufacturing enterprises. 
.\s a consulting and contracting engineer he 
has achieved prominence and success in the 
building of bridges. 



312 



Pciiiisyhaiiia and Its I'lihlic Men. 



Samuel F. Houseman 

Philadelphia 

Samuel F. Houseman was a power in the 
politics of Philadelphia for a quarter of a cen- 
tury or more, and finally quit the play of his 
own volition. He was the .creator of more 
than one conspicuous political figure, two of 




wlmni may he mentioned — Israel W. Durham 
and Henry K. Boyer. The Housemans are 
Hollanders. There were two brothers who 
came to America with the Dutch in 1632, one 
settling on Long Island, and the other on 
Staten Island. Samuel L. is the direct descend- 
ant of the latter. His father, James, was born 
on Staten Island, and was reared with Cor- 
nelius Vanderliilt the first, who was an 
orphan and brought up by the Housemans. 

The father learned shoemaking at Newark, 
New Jersey. It was the custom then in the 
trade, after an apprentice had mastered it, to 
"tramp" the country for work and experience, 
and then returning to Newark would be given 
regidar emiiloyment as a journeyman. Mr. 
Houseman's father "tramped" it and settled, 
however, in Philadelphia, where he opened a 
boot and shoe store at Pine and Perry Streets, 
and marrving the daughter of fames Gray, 
who lived on Thirteenth Street below Chest- 
nut. Ten children were the product of this 
union. 

The father became active in politics, and was 



the Whig leader of the old "Cedar Ward," as 
the Seventh was then known ; was Chairman 
of the "Blocking Committee," and constable 
for many years. 

He died at the age of eighty. After a 
limited schooling, Samuel F. learned the trade 
of an iron moulder with Richard Harris, at 
Seventeenth and Spring Carden Streets, but 
was forced to abandon it through a serious in- 
jury, when he mastered the trade of a plasterer 
with bis brother at Wilmington, Del. He re- 
turned to Philadelphia in 1863, and worked as 
;i journeyman until 1868, when he set up in 
business for himself as a contracting plasterer. 
In this he was highly successful, but in 1884 
he encountered a second serious injury which 
caused him to retire from active business. Mr. 
Houseman has since employed himself in look- 
ing after his property interests. He is the 
owner of extensive tracts between the mouth 
of the Schuylkill and Point Breeze. Mr. 
Houseman's career in politics began in 1856, 
be having been induced to take charge of the 
alTnirs of the newly-formed Republican party 
in one of the election divisions of the .Seventh 
\\",ir(l. He made this one of the strongholds 
of the party. By 1875 he had become a polit- 
ical factor, and was persuaded to become a 
candidate for Common Council. He was op- 
posed by the old Gas Trust, but received 23 
out of the 27 votes in the convention. The 
campaign was a fierce one, with three sets of 
candidates, but he and grocer Alex. Russell, 
bis running mate, were elected, he receiving 
301 majority. He was re-elected in 1877. Mr. 
Houseman's activity in Councils and his suc- 
cess in securing political patronage made him 
the Republican leader of the ward. 

In the meantime he became identified with 
the political interests of James McManes. their 
close friendship existing until the death of the 
latter. In 1S84 Mr. Houseman was reluctantly 
sent to Select Council, to succeed John Lavvson. 
and he served for three terms, gaining political 
influence and prestige. He op])oscd the polit- 
ical schemes of M. S. Quav, when the latter 
settled in the Seventh Ward with the idea of 
dominating its politics. Quay was compelled to 
make a pact with him. and the two thereafter 
worked in harmony. Upon his retirement 
from Select Council Mr. Houseman was 
elected a fire commissioner, receiving the 
votes of every member of both branches of 
City Councils. He served one year, when the 
commission expired through the Bullitt char- 
ter. About 1880 he and Israel W. Durham 
become politically associated, although the bat- 
ter's activities had been in the Thirtieth Ward. 
This aroused much jealousy on the part of his 
friends. In 1884 he brought Durham out as 
a candidate for Select Council against Nathan 



f\v!nsxlz'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



313 



Spcrring'. and had liis figlit won liad not Dur- 
liani flunked, leaving the convention scene be- 
fore the balloting had begun. He then took 
him up for police magistrate, and, although 
James McManes didn't desire him slated, he 
induced that leader in a secret conference of 
leaders to propose him, which was backed up 
by Houseman, and Durham was then renomi- 
nated and elected, thus beginning his success- 
ful and meteoric career, 

Mr. Houseman was also instrumental in in- 
ducing Quay to make Henry K. Rover Speaker 
of the House, and afterwards State Treasurer. 
These facts arc given merely in the light of 
history, and not to extol Mr. Houseman. He 
is also the father of the smooth paving of 
Broad Street, from Chestnut Street to Passy- 
imk Avenue, which he secured when in Select 
Council and of the electric lighting of that 
boulevard southward. 



Alexander Van Rensselaer 

.Alexander \an Rensselaer is a cosmopoli- 
tan, clubman, yachtsman, business man, man 
of affairs, and a social leader. He is the scion 
of an old Knickerbocker family, famous in the 
history of Xew York, and received his educa- 
tion at Princeton College. He has now been 
identified with the City of Philadelphia as a 
place of residence for several years, and where 
he has large and important property interests. 
and a large circle of devoted and adiniring 
friends. A gentleman of independent fortune. 
Mr. V'an Rensselaer is an ardent devotee of 
healthy sports and pleasure. He has been a 
wide-world traveler, and is known in many 
lands, and he speaks the European languages. 
He is renowned for his unostentatious chari- 
ties and his democracy, and to give pleasure to 
others is a part of his creed. Sandy Hill I'"arm, 
a portion of his Camp Hill estate, he has set 
apart for the benefit of the children of the 
city's poor and congested districts, and where 
hundreds of flicm are permitted, in the sea- 
sonable months, to enjoy freedom, health and 
comfort, to which thcv are strangers. He is 
besides, a citizen of varied interests, upon 
whose time and means extended demands are 
made. He has been in the forefront, not only 
of business affairs, but of movements directed 
to advance the city's artistic development and 
beauty. 

He is a free and generous patron of the arts 
and of struggling talent in the realm of art. 
He and his distinguished wife arc upon the list 
as contributors to innumerable charities. Mr. 
\'an Rensselaer is a practical yachtsman and 
navigator, and yachting can be declared to be 
his paramount source of pleasure. The pen- 



nant of his famous ocean-going yacht, the 
".May," is known to every port on the .\llantic 
Seaboard, the (iulf of Mexico and South 
.\merica, while she is no stranger to luiropean 
waters, being a staunch steam ocean-going 
craft, fitted up in luxurious taste as befits her 
owner. In season she is always in commission, 
and is attached to the Corinthian ^'acht Club 
of Philadelphia, of which .Mr. \ an Rensselaer 
is a commodore. 

The yacht "May " has figured piclures(|ucly 
in history. .\t the beginning of the Spanish- 




American War and before the (iovernment 
was able to secure vessels and fit out vessels 
as adjuncts to the .\merican fleet, Mr. Van 
Rensselaer was quick to come to its practical 
relief. He tendered the "May" to the Navy 
Department without cost, and immediately 
stripping her of her finery and handsome fur- 
nishing, thereby rendering her the better for 
the purpose designed, and fitted her out as a 
hospital ship. .And not content with this, he 
accompanied her on her mission of mercv to 
Cuban waters with a corps of nurses to alle- 
viate the sufferings of the .American soldier 
and marine. 

.And for this act he received the thanks and 
commendation of President McKinley. and of 
.Secretary Long of the N'avy Department. Mr. 
\'an Rensselaer is a member of exclusive 
clubs of Philadelphia. Xew York and New- 
port. 



314 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 




Hon. Henry D. Heller 

State Quarantine Physician 



Dr. Henry D. Heller on his father's side is 
Dutch, the family coming from Holland in 1642 
on the good ship "Winter Galley" and landing 
her precious freight at New York or New 
Amsterdam. There were Hellers who fought 
King George in the Revolution, and there have 
been Hellers in all the wars for the preserva- 
tion and the honor of the nation. His grand- 
father on the maternal side. Dr. Henry W. 
Detwiler, was one of the fathers of homeo- 
pathy and had the distinction of administering 
the first dose of medicine of that school to a 
patient in the United States. He was a pro- 
fessor in the first Homreopathic college in this 
country, and located at .-Mlentown. C. B. Heller. 
the father of the doctor, was a merchant promi- 
nent in the affairs of Northampton County and 
resided at Hellertown, which was named after 



the family and where the doctor was born 
Sept. 18, 1852, and having chosen medicine 
for a profession he took a course in the 
Bellevue Medical College of New York City. 
Graduating high in his class he returned to 
his home at Hellertown and entered upon the 
practice of his profession, in which he was 
highly successful. In 1880 he was appointed 
on the United States Pension Examining 
Board and served for four years. He early 
took an active interest in the affairs of the 
Republican party and in 1892 was selected as 
the strongest available candidate for State 
Senator and after an exciting and strenous 
campaign he took his seat as the first and the 
last Republican who has represented North- 
ampton County in the Senate of Pennsylvania. 
As a reward for his party services Governor 



Poinsvlz'aiiia and Its I'liblic Men. 



315 



Stone appointed Dr. Heller in 1899 to the 
office of State yiiarantine Physician, which 
he continues to occupy and which he has filled 
with great credit to himself as well as to the 
State. He has brought the quarantine station 
to a high state of efficiency and discipline and 
Dr. Doty, the Health Officer of New York 
says "Xo State has a station more superior." 
Dr. Heller is also an active and prominent 
business man. He is heavily interested in the 
Thomas Iron Company of the Lehigh Valley 
and in the stone quarries at Hellertown. He 
is a Freemason from the Blue Lodge to the 
Shrine, and a member of the Manufacturers' 
Club of Philadelphia. Since General Reeder 
parted his cable tow from the Republican State 
organization Dr. Heller has been regarded 
practically as the Republican leader of Xorih- 
ampton being the dominant spirit of a little 
group that directs the affairs of the party. Dr. 
Heller has been a delegate to numerous State 
Republican Conventions. He is noted for his 
sociability and his friendship. 



Mr. Randall's Story of the Electoral 
Commission 

I happened to be present one day in the 
rooms of the House Committee on .Vppropria- 
tion. in the capitol at Washington, and of 
which Mr. Randall was a member, and heard 
him relate a story of the secret political his- 
tory of 1876 which. I think, has never been 
printed. Mr. Randall had been out the night 
before and was in prime mood to talk. Ben 
Butterworth, of Cincinnati, one of the Re- 
publican leaders of the House, was present. 
He and Randall were spatting good naturedly 
over the seating of President Hayes, when the 
latter blurted out: '"By God. Ben, you would 
never have got your man in if it had not been 
for the indiscreet tongue of Judge Black." 

Mr. Randall crossed his legs, leaned back 
in his chair, and related this remarkable 
story : — 

"The Florida case, as you all well know, 
was the first of the three disputed .Southern 
States to be taken up by the Electoral Com- 
mission. 

'Tt had been under consideration for .some 
days, both sides bad been heSrd, and the case 
closed so far as the argument was concerned. 
The members of the commission informed one 
another that they would be ready to give their 
individual decisions at an open session to be 
held the following day. 

"Justice Bradley, of Xew Jersey, was 
known to have a leaning toward the Demo- 
crats, and the Democrats thereby were build- 
ing great hopes upon him. Xow, he and 



Judge Jeremiah .S. Black were great cronies 
and confidants. The justice invariably took 
a dip from Judge Black's ever-present snulT- 
box when it was tendered. Xo two men in 
their walks in life could hardly have been on 
closer terms of intimacy. Judge Black had 
an abiding faith that Bradley would be with 
us, and it turned out that he was right. On 
the afternoon that the Florida case was closed 
Justice Bradley confided to Black the secret 
that he had intended to supjiurt the Demo- 
cratic position and vote in favor of going 
behind the returns. 

"This was a piece of news from a tender- 
loin cut and it appeared to be too choice for 
Judge Black to keep to himself. He left the 
capitol and strolled down Pennsylvania .\ve- 
nue. In front of the Metropolitan Hotel he 
met Senator Beck, and the two entered the 
bar-room to discuss a toddy. While they were 
being prepared Judge Black leaned over and 
whispered into the ear of the .Senator that 
Justice Bradley had just informed him that 
he would vote with the Democrats. 

"Xow, it so happened that a clerk in one 
of the departments, a Pennsylvanian, stood 
next to Senator Beck, and overheard the 
whisper. He knew both men and fully real- 
ized the importance of the secret he had ob- 
tained. He hastened to the home of General 
Simon Cameron and informed him. Cameron 
also was impressed with its ini])ortance and 
immediately got into communication with Col. 
Thomas .\. Scott, President of the Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad, beseeching him to hasten to 
Washington as fast as a special train could 
bring him. The ai)pointment of Justice 
Bradley was largely attributed to Colonel 
Scott, who had great influence with him. 

"That night Colonel Scott arrived, his spe- 
cial having made a record time, and it stopped 
by pre-arrangement on the outskirts of the 
city, where General Cameron met him and 
exi)lained the situation. Colonel .Scott took 
a carriage in waiting and was driven to Jus- 
tice Bradley's residence. He remained there 
for several hours and then departed for Phil- 
adelphia on his special. 

"He was undoubtedly successful in his mis- 
sion, as the next day. when the commission 
reassembled. Justice P.radley, to the chagrin 
and anger of the Democrats, sustained the 
Republican position, making the commission 
stand eight to seven in their favor in the 
Florida case." 

Mr. Randall declared that Judge Black was 
blamable in the matter, and added that four 
incidents had thus cost Tilden the presidency : 
Judge Black's indiscreetncss. his accidental 
meeting with Senator Beck, their act of en- 
tering the bar-room for a tofldy. and the pres- 
ence of the Pennsvlvania office holder. 



316 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



"Sunset" Cox, in his "Three Decades of 
Federal Legislation,"' thus paints the picture 
of the scene when the decision on the Florida 
case was given : — • 

"The lawyers have finished and the case is 
in the hands of the commission. One after 
another of the members reads his opinion in 
secret session. Seven are quite sure that the 
Tilden electors from the State of Florida are 
regularly chosen. Seven are just as fully 
convinced that the Hayes electors have only 
the stamp of regularity. Justice Bradley 
alone remains to be heard from. 

"All eyes are turned to the Jerseyman. 
Chosen, as he was, to enact the role of a non- 
partisan, is he still not a judge? The Demo- 
crats of the commission look, not without 
some confidence, to Justice Bradley. Would 
he save the Supreme Court from the threat- 
ened disgrace? 

"Pale and trembling, Justice Bradley un- 
folds his manuscript. He begins to read. He 
is impressed apparently with the overwhelm- 
ing responsibility placed upon his conduct 
and his conscience. As he reads Democratic 
hopes grow brighter and brighter. Justice 
will dawn at last with an added splendor. 
Alas, change ! The wind suddenly veers and 
Mr. Justice Bradley accomplishes a dexterous 
non sequitun. He closes with the assurance 
that his vote must be given to the counting 
of Florida for Hayes." 

Does not this narrative of Mr. Cox's sub- 
stantiate, in a measure, the story of Mr. Ran- 
dall, and that Justice Bradley had originally 
prepared his decision in favor of Tilden, 
and then had in its conclusion changed it? 



Ostendorfl's Cafe 

Its Famous Collefclion of Arms and Relics 

While it cannot be styled an "Old Curiosity 
Shop," Ostendorff's hotel and cafe, at No. 1231 
Market Street. Philadelphia, is a veritable 
museum of relics, and is known as one of the 
show places of the city. Upon its walls are 
arranged a great and unique collection of 
relics which are daily viewed by hundreds of 
Philadelphians and strangers who are attracted 
by its fame. Aside from this. Ostendorff's has 
an established reputation for the excellence of 
its cuisine, which is largely German, while 
onlv the best liquor? are served to its trade. 
In this vast collection of relics and curiosities, 
probably the most interesting feature is the 
gun of Robinson Crusoe, which was secured 
bv Mr. F. Ostendorff in iqo8. It was pur- 
chased by Miss Huldah White, of Philadel- 
phia, at a sale of the effects of a descendant 
of the Selkirk family held in Edinburgh. 



When it was learned that this relic was to be 
taken to America there was a great outcry 
from British sentimentalists, and she was be- 
sought to resell it, but it has found its way 
into this collection. There is a splendid, and 
the largest, collection of fire-arms of historical 
value to be found in the United States, em- 
bracing arms not only manufactured in this 
country and used by its armies, but those of 
other nations. There are rifles here to be seen 
which have come down from the Revolution, 
the Indian wars, the Mexican War. the War 




of 1812. of the Civil War and the Spanish- 
.■\merican War. There are many specimens of 
the old flintlock. Col. John Hall's first Ameri- 
can breech-loading rifle; the Old Harpers 
Ferry rifle: the Springfield; the V British 
army tower gun, used by the British in the 
Revolution ; the Enfield, used by the Con- 
federate army ; the French chassepot, em- 
ployed in the France-Prussian War. and 
captured in the Philippines. Many of different 
makes have interesting histories, having been 
captured in wars, and whose values as relics 
are now inestimable. Aside from the gun and 
rifle display, there is an interesting collection 
of side arms, blunderbnses, pistols, carbines, 
flintlock pistols, swords and cutlasses dating 
from 1740 to 1905. The walls of Ostendorff's 
are also decorated with many prints of his- 
torical scenes, and particularly connected with 
the War of the Rebellion, and the place has 
become a Mecca for the old soldiers of that 
war. 



/'ciitisvli'aitia and Its I'ublic Men. 



3i: 



Frederick Beyer 

Asiislanl City Solicitor 

Frederick Beyer \Tas horn and raised in the 
City of I'hihidelphia. and is of (ierman extrac- 
tion. His father was a well-known citizen of 




the district of Kensington, and was a carpet 
weaver, conducting his own business. He can 
be said to have been one of the pioneers in 
this industry, and of which Philadelphia is 
now the great center. In his day he wove rag 
carpet, which came before the advent of 
ingrain carpet, which was followed by the 
higher grades. Frederick Beyer received his 
education at the William H. Hunter Grammar 
School, and selecting the law for a" profession, 
he was registered as a student with the well- 
known solicitor and real estate expert. Samuel 
B. Caven. This was in 1889. He then took 
a course in the Law Department of the Uni- 
versity of Pennsylvania, and graduated there- 
from in the class of 1806. which was a most 
distinguished one. and included many of the 
foremost members of the junior bar of I'hila- 
delphia. Mr. Beyer was admitted to practice 
in 1896. and has built up a large general prac- 
tice, having offices at 132S .Arch Street. He 
has been active as a Republican in the Thirtv- 
third Ward, and subsequentlv in the Forty- 
third Ward, where he now resides. He has 
served as a delegate to many county conven- 
tions of the Rejxiblican party, and is noted for 



his manly social fjualities. In 1905 Mr. IJeyer 
was ai)pointed an .Assistant City Solicitor by 
John L. Kinsey, and was assigned to Conmion 
Pleas Court Xo. 5. and which position he still 
occupies. He is an active member of the 
Forty-third Ward Republican Club, and is 
jironiinent in Odd Fellowship, and is solicitor 
for the Cirand Lodge of that order. He is also 
identified with the Order of Sparta and the 
Schutzcn X'erein. 



Hon. J. Wlllard Morgan 

Camden 

J. Willard .Morgan has been a stalwart 
figure in the politics of Xcw Jersey for many 
years, and has held positions of honor under 
the State. He has made a reputation at the 
bar. and is conceded to be now the ablest 
authority on corporation law in South Jersey. 
Of late years he has devoted his attention 
largely to important business enterprises, and 
is now actively identified with financial in- 
stitutions and corporations. Mr. Morgan was 
born on a farm near Blackwood, New Jersey, 
July 6, 1854. He is the son of Randall E. 
Morgan, who was a Republican leader of 
Camden County and one of its High sheriffs. 
He received his education in the public schools 
of Camden and Philadelphia. Leaving school 
he studied law under the direction of ex-Judge 
Charles P. Stratton, and was admitted to the 
Camden bar in 1877 when twenty-three years 
of age, and became a counsellor in 1880. He 
has served as a Commissioner for the last 
twenty-five years. Mr. Morgan entered poli- 
tics early and gradually became a power in 
the Republican party of the city of Camden 
and the county. His first political office was 
that of member of the City Council. He then 
served for fifteen years in the oflfice of City 
Solicitor. He enjoyed confidential political re- 
lations with the late Senator \\'illiam J. 
Sewell throughout the latter's public career. 
On I'ebruary 18, 1902, Mr. Morgan was ap- 
pointed State Comptroller by the Governor, 
and in 1905 was re-appointed and continued to 
serve in that important ofiice until 1908. He 
has long been the coimsel for the Philadel- 
phia and Reading Railroad in Cainden. He 
was one of the organizers and the first Presi- 
dent of the Camden and Gloucester Railroad 
until it was absorbed by the Public Service 
Corporation. He is prominently identified with 
the banking interests and building associations 
of Camden. He is a Director of the Security 
Trust, the West Jersey Trust, and the First 
National Bank. Mr. Morgan is the sole owner 
of the Blackwood Water System and Good 
Intent Lake. He maintains there a summer 
home and entertains lavishlv. 



318 



Pcnusxhauia and Its Public Men. 



Thomas O'Donnell 

It can be truly said of Thomas O'DonnoII, 
as may be said of course of many thousands of 
other successful business men, that he has been 




the architect of his own fortune, having from 
the age of twelve, had to look out for his own 
destinies. He was born in the City of Limer- 
ick, in the Emerald Isle, August i, 1857, his 
father then being engaged in business there. In 
1867 he came, with his mother, to the United 
States in order to better their condition and to 
join relatives, they setthng in Philadelphia. 
Later he went to the oil regions of Pennsyl- 
vania during the heyday of the oil excitement, 
and worked there for four years, when he re- 
turned to Philadelphia and established a resi- 
dence which he has since maintained. The 
schooling of Mr. O'Donnell was limited, owing 
to poor circumstances, and he can be called 
therefore a self-educated man. Having accimi- 
ulated some capital from his savings, upon at- 
taining his majority he then started in the retail 
liquor business at 4418-20 Lancaster Avenue, 
where he built up a large and lucrative trade, 
and where he remained for a quarter of a cen- 
tury or over, and became of some prominence 
in the affairs of the Twenty-fourth Ward. He 
thus remained until 1904, when he established 
a successful wholesale liquor establishment at 
1823 Market Street. He continued there for 
one year, when he then became associated with 



the Chris Gailager Company, wholesale liquor 
dealers, at 508 South Eighth Street. Mr. 
O'Donnell, in politics, has always been a 
staunch Democrat, and for some years took an 
active interest in the affairs of that party, hav- 
ing been a member of the Ward Executive 
Committee and a delegate to Democratic State 
conventions. Of later years he has exercised 
more of party freedom, however, voting for 
the best men. He is a member of the Order 
of Elks, Philadelphia Lodge No. 2, and of the 
Philopatrians. His residence is at 6367 Over- 
brook Avenue, Overbrook. He is the father of 
two motherless boys, Thomas and John, aged 
respectively seven and five, and whom he will 
educate for commercial lives. 



Thomas W. Cunningham 

clerk of the Court of Quarter Sessions 

Thomas W. Cunningham is the strongest 
political force in the Tenth Ward of Philadel- 
phia after James P. McNichoI. He was born 
and grew up in the central section of the city 
and is known personally to at least nearlv all 




its oldest residents. He has been an active 
man in the play of politics for twenty-five 
years, and is now serving his second term as 
Clerk of the Court of Quarter Sessions, his 
term expiring in 191 1. His birthplace was 



Pcitiisxhaiiia and Its Public Men. 



319 



Fifteenth and Race Streets, Xintli Ward, and 
his education was gotten principally at the 
Keystone Public School. Me was early put to 
a trade, that of iron moulding with an old 
established firm at Twenty-first and Race 
Streets. He remained with it for twenty 
years, gradually arising to responsible places 
under it until he became a member of the firm. 
Living in a political atmosphere, he naturally 
took to politics, and at his manhood became 
an active Republican. He was elected school 
director, serving for several years. .About 
1883 Mr. Cimningham became a resident of 
the neighboring ward, the Tenth, transfering 
there his popularity and political activity. 
-Soon after, when the test of political leader- 
ship of the ward came between William R. 
Leeds and James P. McXichol, and which 
arose on the (jucstion of the renomination of 
John Ballinger for Select Council, Leeds sent 
for Mr. Cunningham, and asked him to assist 
him. "Xo, Sheriff." was his reply. "T shall 
stick to Jim," meaning McXichol. This de- 
cision was a fortunate one for him, as it 
cemented the bond of friendship between the 
two men, which has contiiuied ever since. 

Mr. Cunningham succeeded John F. Pole as 
police magistrate, the latter having lost his 
political influence. He served two terms as 
such, some of the time as committing magis- 
trate at the City Hall. He was at one time 
slat.ed for the nomination for Sheriff, but at 
a late hour gave way for Wencil Hartman. 
He was president of the W. R. Leeds .\sso- 
ciation, is very active in the Order of Elks 
and a Mason of rank. 



Charles Edmund Pugh 

Pennsylvania Railroad 

Charles Edmund Pugh, the subject of this 
sketch, the 2d \'ice- President of the Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad Company, was born at Union- 
ville, Chester County, Penn.sj-lvania, on the 
twenty-fifth day of February. 1S41. His 
father was the late Elijah Pugh. a member 
of the Society of Friends, a man of probity, 
and in business a merchant and transporter. 
His early education was received in the dis- 
trict school of his birthplace. He applied 
himself closely to his studies in preparation 
for admission to the State Xornial School at 
Millersville, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 
which he subsequently entered. He was grad- 
uated from the institution after completing 
a thorough course of study, and entered his 
father's office. 

^^r. Pugh entered the service of the Penn- 
sylvania Railroad Company as agent at X'ew- 
port. Perry County. Pennsylvania, on October 
I, 1859. To familiarize himself with ;ill the 



details in the actual practice and theory at- 
tending the running of trains, he entered the 
train service and served as passenger con- 
ductor for a period of six months. His pro- 
motions then began. In 1864 he was ap- 
pointed Train Dispatcher of the Philadelphia 
Division: on .\ugust i. 1870, Cieneral .\gent 
for Philadel|)bia : on .\pril i, 1879, Getieral 
Su])erintendent Pennsylvania Railroad Divi- 
sion: on October l, 1882, (kneral Manager; 
on March 1, 1893, 3rd Vice-President, and 
on February 10, 1897. 2d Vice-President. In 
this jMsition his duties are principally con- 
cerned with the operating department of the 
railroad. 

Mr. Pugh is also 2d X'ice-I'resident of the 
Xorthern CeiUral Railway and I'hiladelphia, 
Baltimore and Washington Railroad Com- 
panies, of the West Jersey and Seashore Rail- 
road Com])any, and a director of the Long 
Lsland Railroad Company and of many other 
companies in the Pennsylvania system. .Xs a 
practical railroad man, educated from the 
ground floor up, Mr. Pugh is one of the men 
who have made the Pennsylvania Railroad 
system the greatest in the world to-day. This 
has come about through its own .system of 
civil service, every man being compelled to 
master the details of his position before pro- 
motion is visited upon him. 




SecfeUry lo iMayut John t. Rrybufn. (See ikclch. pane 180) 



320 



Pciiiisxhaiiia oiid Its Public Men. 



Hon. Jesse S. Shephard 

Jesse S. Shephard, of (icrmantown, is a 
practicing attorney who possesses the inclina- 
tion and takes the time to play the game of 
politics. He has heen an integral part of 
the Republican organization of Philadelphia, 
and he has sat as a member of the State 




Senate of Pennsylvania. He is a native of 
Montgomery County, Pa., having been born 
at Plymouth, July 9, 1872. His parents were 
Henry S. and May M. Shephard. When he 
was eight years of age the family moved to 
Germantown, where he has since resided. 
Passing through the various grades of the 
pub'ic schools, including the Boy's Central 
High School, he prepared for Yale College, 
which institution he entered but left before 
the completion of his course of study. Hav- 
ing chosen the law for a profession Mr. 
Shephard was enrolled in the Law Depart- 
ment of the University of Pennsylvania, from 
which he graduated in June, 1896. He was 
immediately admitted to practice in the courts 
of Philadelphia County, and later on in the 
State Supreme and Superior Courts, and in 
the Federal Courts and the .Supreme Court of 
the United States. Mr. Shephard devotes his 
attention to the civil line of cases, and is 
the attorney for a number of large business 
enterprises. He took to politics upon coming 
of age, and identified himself with the Repub- 
lican party. He has been a delegate to a 



number of Republican State conventions, and 
is a political orator of much force and pres- 
tige. Soon after his admission to the bar he 
was elected a member of Common Council 
from the Twenty-second Ward, and was re- 
elected, serving four years. His career in this 
body was interrupted by his election to the 
State Senate from the Fourth District at a 
special election held February 16, 1904, to 
fill the vacancy caused by the death of the 
Hon. John T. Harrison. Upon this occasion 
he defeated his Democratic opponent, Edwin 
O. Lewis, by a majority of 16,990, receiving 
five votes to one for his rival. Not only did 
the senatorial toga fall upon his shoulders, 
but he was invested at the same time with the 
leadership of the Republican organization of 
the Twenty-second Ward, succeeding Sena- 
tor Harrison, and took his seat in the Re- 
publican City Campaign Committee. He 
served in this capacity for three years. Later 
Senator Shephard failed to agree with the 
policies of the Republican partv leaders of 
the city, and has acted independently, in which 
he was joined by a large following. Senator 
Shephard is a Past Master of Hiram Lodge, 
F. & A. M. ; member Keystone Chapter, No. 
175: Patriotic Order Sons of America. Ger- 
mantown Republican Club, Chestnut Hill Re- 
publican Club, Belmont Driving Club, the 
Lawyers' Clul). and the State Law Associa- 
tion. 



A. Raymond Raff 

Operative Builder 

A. Raymond Raff is of direct German ex- 
traction, his father and mother having come to 
Philadelphia from Stuttgart. The story of 
his life proves how a poor boy, possessing am- 
bition, energy, and intelligence, can make his 
way up in the world. He stands in the front 
rank of the individual operative builders of 
the Quaker City, and has erected many large 
business structures as well as innumerable 
private residences. He has the capital and 
the plant to undertake the construction of 
buildings of whatever class, and is found bid- 
ding upon the most important operations 
thrown open to competition. He was born in 
Philadelphia, April 27, 1865. Family necessi- 
ties compelled him to be a bread winner from 
childhood, and the advantages of an education, 
such as he desired, were denied him. The 
night schools were open to him, however, and 
with German pluck he attended these and later 
that at the Franklin Institute, where he was 
able to secure a technical knowledge. At fif- 
teen he apprenticed himself to Ketchum & 
Son, carpenters and builders, and thus served 
for four and a half years, and later two years 



J'ciitisvkviiia and Its riiblic Men. 



321 



as a joiirncvnian. A thorougli master of his 
trade at twenty-tlirce years, he determined to 
embark on his own account as a master 
liuilder, although the possessor of but a small 

capital re])ri sentins; lii"; ^nvin^s. lie suc- 




ceeded J. Sims Wilson, at 1327 Buttonwood 
Street, in 1886. His business had a remark- 
able growth from the start, and in a few years 
he was compelled to erect a new and larger 
establishment at 1633-35 Thompson Street. 
Mr. RafT early identified himself w'ith the 
Democratic party, and became active in the 
Twenty-ninth \\ ard. Movements for the bet- 
terment of the city or State governments won 
his cordial support. His prominence as a busi 
ness and party man led to his nomination for 
Common Council, much against his inclination 
in 1894. His opponent was Peter E. Smith, 
who was entrenched behind a previous He 
publican majority of 5000, and assured of an 
easy victory. Mr. Raff's popularity swept thi.- 
aside, and he was elected by 157 inajority. 
His course in the city legislature caused the 
Democrats and the reform element to demand 
him as a candidate for Select Council, in 1897, 
and his election by 1400 majority was a sig- 
nal persnnal and political triumph. In Select 
Council he won the applause of his friends 
by voting against General Green's water bill. 
a scheme to take over the city's water supply 
to private speculative interests. His retire- 
ment from City Councils was a matter of com- 
mon regret. Mr. Raff has been solicited to 
21 



accept nomination lor high otTicc. but has 
steadily refused. He is a member of Tristram 
B. Freeman Royal .\rch Chapter, Corinthian 
Lodge, F. & -A. M. : Knights Templar; of 
the German branch. N'oung's Men's Christian 
.\ssociation : W'ardm of the Carpenter's Coin- 
jjany, and an active member of the Northwest 
lUisiness Men's .Association. 



Hon. James Rankin Young 

James Rankin Young, one of the best-known 
and popular of living Philadelphians. has led 
an active and strenuous life from the time he 
became a cub reporter on the Philadelphia 
Press. He served for many years as a Wash- 
ington correspondent, particularly of the Xew 
York Tribune, and filled the position of Execu- 
tive Clerk of the United States Senate. He 
was one of the owners of the I'hiladelphia 
Ei'ctiiiig Slar, and his Washington Letters to 
il. iHider the nomdeplumc of "S. M.," made him 
famous. Mr. Young defeated the Hon. John 
E. Reyburn for Congress from Philadelphia, 
and servc<l with distinction in the l'"ifty-fifth. 
Filtv-si.xth and I-"iflv-seventb Congresses. He 




has been Superinten<lent of the Dead Letter 
Office of the Post Office Department for some 
years. Mr. Young is a brother of the late 
famous John Russell Young, who accompanied 
General Grant on his tour around the world. 



322 



Pcnusxk'aiiia aitd Its Public Men. 



S. D 



avis 



Pag€ 



S. Davis Page, one of the Nestors of the 
Philadelphia har. and whose name is intimately 
associated with the political reform movement 




in the "eighties," \\as born on Chestnut Street 
near Ninth in 1840, and comes from an old and 
honored Philadelphia family. He was care- 
fully prepared for s collegiate course. He wa^ 
a prodigy at learning, as he entered Yale in 
1859 at fifteen, the youngest member of the 
class, and graduating with high honors at 
eighteen. While at college he took keen inter- 
est in aquatic sports and was chosen "Com- 
modore of the Navy," or the trainer of the 
boat crew that competed with other colleges. 
Under his supervision Yale won the first race 
in her history. Returning to Philadelphia, he 
took up the study of the law, and was duly 
admitted to practice in all the courts of the 
State. He subsequently formed the law firm 
of Page, Allison & Penrose, which had a highly 
prosperous career for years. Mr. Page was 
then a resident of the Fifth Ward, and his 
democracy he inherited. He took an active 
part in the politics of the ward, and in 1877 
was made the candidate for Common Council, 
being elected by 14 majoritv. The Republican 
leaders were much perturbed by this victory, 
and Ell Rowan remarked that "14 majoritv 
was as good as 1400 if Mr. Page could hold 
it," which he did. Mr. Paa:e became one of 
the most active and useful members of Coun- 



cils, and was re-elected in 1879. At the No- 
vember election of that year he was the Demo- 
cratic candidate for City Treasurer and was 
defeated. In 1882 he was again his party's 
candidate for the same office. Mr. Page had 
made himself conspicuous in City Coimcils in 
his advocacy of reform measures and decen 
government, and was an able and uncompro- 
mising foe of the old Gas Trust. Notwithstand- 
ing his work and reputation the Committee of 
One Hundred, which was then in flower, de- 
clined to endorse him because it already had 
a candidate in Mr. Earline. It proposed, how- 
ever, that if he would accept the nomination 
for Register of Wills that it would endorse him 
which he in turn declined, as the office did not 
appeal to him. Mr. Page retired from City 
Councils in 1882, when he was appointed by 
Governor Pattison to be Controller of Phila- 
delphia, he taking the place that Pattison had 
vacated. He served for a year, and then go- 
ing before the people as a candidate for the 
office, was defeated by but 1 100 majority. 
President Cleveland, in 1885, appointed Mr. 
Page United States Sub-treasurer at Philadel- 
phia, which he held for four years, and then 
became the President of the Quaker City Na- 
tional Bank, which he successfully managed 
for several years. Mr. Page is still in active 
practice. 




William Kayser 

Memter of the Legislature from PfuJadeiphia and Wholesale 

Li:]Uor Merchant. (See sketch, page 176) 



Pcinisvli'niiia and Its Public Men. 



323 



Frederick T. Chandler 

Frederick T. Cliandler, the well-known 
stockbroker and '"man of affairs." was born 
Dcceiiiber 5. 1S63, in the Friends' Settlement 




of Haniorton, near Kennett Square, Pa., of 
Quaker parentage. The family moved to 
Philadelphia when he was about five years of 
age. and he was educated in the public schools 
of that city. He entered the brokerage busi- 
ness in 1878 with the old firm of Thomas 1,. 
Lawson & Sons. He was with them for five 
years, and afterward went with the firm of 
L. H. Taylor & Co., remaining with them 
until the house went out of business in 1896, 
after which he established the firm of Chand- 
ler Bros. & Co., at Fifth and Chestnut Streets. 

Mr. Chandler has been a member of the 
Philadelphia Stock E.xchange since 1892. He 
was President of that body from 1905 to 1907. 
At present he is a member of its Governing 
Committee ; also a member of the New York 
Stock Exchange, Chicago Stock Exchange. 
Chicago Board of Trade, and New York Cot- 
ton Exchange. 

While a resident of Delaware County, Mr. 
Chandler took quite an active part in politics 
there under the leadership of Jack Robinson, 
and later under the late William L. Mathues. 
Was chosen a delegate to the Xational Re- 
publican Convention from that district in 
1904. Since his residence in Philadelphia he 
has been an active member of the Committee 



of Twenty-one in the ekctiun of Mr. Rotan 
as District .Attorney, and was a Presidential 
Elector in ujo.S. 

Mr. Chandler has been active in Masonic 
circles for twenty-one years, is Past Master 
of Corinthian Lodge. .\o. 36S. .Also mem- 
ber of Corinthian Chapter and Corinthian 
Chasseur Commandery. .Ancient and .Accepted 
Scottish Rite. .Also a member of numerous 
clubs, among them being L'nioii League. Rac- 
quet Club, Philadeli)hia Country Club, Lans- 
(lowne Country Club. Rose Tree Hunt Club, 
Bachelors' Barge Club, and the Lambs' Club 
of Xew- A'ork. 




William L. Bear 

Stock and Bond Broker, Pennsylvania Buildins, 

Fiitecnlh and Cheslnul Strceli 



William J. Leahy 

Contractor 

William [. Leahy has made a rapid rise in 
the contractor's world of Philadelphia, and 
is now a factor to be reckoned with when 
large jobs of either public or private work 
are to be competed for. He was born at the 
famous Grays Ferry in the county of Phila- 
delphia, .August 26, 1876. Primarily edu- 
cated in the public schools and a graduate 
of the U. S. Grant Granmiar School at Sev- 



324 



Pciiiisxhaiiia and Its I'libiic Men. 



enteenth antl Pine Streets in 1891. He 
adopted the trade of a barber, serving a term 
as an apprentice and devoting eighteen months 
to the occupation. He realized that it would 
not afford him the opijortunities for advance- 
ment that he had planned for himself, and he 
threw it up, going to Atlantic City and there 
embarking in the sales and livery business. 
He remained there with fair success until 
1897, when he returned to Philadelphia and 
set up as a horse dealer in Holmesburg, and 
which he abandoned after one year. He then 
entered the employ of James P. McNichol's 
contracting firm, serving in the capacity of a 
foreman. A better proposal coming from 
David Peoples, the contractor, Mr. Leahy 
entered into his service as foreman for the 
construction of a pumping station for the city, 
and ultimately was made the assistant and 
then the active superintendent. He was grad- 
ually working to the end of engaging in the 
contracting line upon his own account and 
was familiarizing himself with all branches 
of it. Leaving David Peoples he became the 
General Superintendent of Construction for 
the well-known contractor, George Ruch, and 
was engaged on the Parkway in the removal 
of condemned buildings. In 1907 Mr. Leahy 
was prepared to go into business for himself 
as a general contractor, and it can be said 
that his success was immediate. 

Mr. Leahy has done a considerable amount 
of contracting for the railroads and for the 
city, a few examples of his work being shown 
in the following: — 

For the Pennsylvania opening from Cam- 
bria Street to Allegheny Avenue, and from 
Martha Street from Allegheny to Cambria. 
Spring Garden Street from Fifth to Si.xth. 
Thirteenth Street from Cumberland to Hunt- 
ingdon. In connection with the Philadelphia 
and Reading Railroad he had charge of the 
opening of the site of the Fourth and NcJjle 
Streets freight and storage house, clearing it 
for the freight at Delaware Avenue and ^\'il- 
low Streets. He has done a considerable 
amount of work out of town, including Bal- 
timore and the South and in Millville and 
Glassboro, New Jersey. He built a library at 
Springfield, Massachusetts, and is at present 
engaged upon a large contract for John R. 
Wyeth, the great manufacturing chemist. 
Mr. Leahy is frequendy called upon to give 
expert testimony, and is generally recognized 
as an expert contractor. He is an active and 
influential member of the Odd Fellows, of 
the L. O. O. M., Friendly Order of St. Pa- 
trick, the old Tacony Club, and the Forty- 
first Ward Republican Club. He possesses 
social qualities of a high order, is loved and 
admired by his friends, and a man possessing 
marvellous dash and push. 



Henry A. Walter 

Few more better known or more popular 
Philatlelphians than Henry A. Walter, who, 
in the real estate world, is a bright and fixed 
star : who, as an Elk, has a fame that is 
nation wide; who, as a man, is admired of 
men. Mr. Walter was born in that section of 




the city known as Port Richmond in 1857. 
His education was knocked into him in the 
public schools, and he attended the Boys' Cen- 
tral High School. His earlier manhood was 
spent in various mercantile employments and 
pursuits, and then, fifteen years ago, he 
founded his present large and lucrative real 
estate business, with his offices at 1218 Chest- 
nut Street. Mr. Walter is very prominent in 
the building association world, and in its in- 
tricacies and laws he is looked upon as an 
expert. He is now the secretary of ten such 
associations, viz, : The Temple, Franklin 
Square, Aetna, Real Estate, Cosmos, Second 
Phrenix, New Cosmos and Royal Mainstay, 
Fourth Phoenix. Aside from his business 
affairs, Mr. Walter whose social qualities 
make him "a prince of good fellows," is ex- 
tremely active in the Order of Elks. He is 
Past Exalted Ruler of the great and famous 
Philadelphia Lodge, No. 2, and as a member 
of the Grand Lodge attends all the national 
gatherings of the order. Mr. \\'alter is also 
a Charter and Life Member of Equity Lodge 
of Free and .\ccepted Masons. 



I'ciiiisylz'aiiia and Its I'ublic Men. 



325 



Col. Ezra H. Ripple 

Scranlon 

Ezra II. Ripple lias been for many years a 
conspicuous figure in the political, business, 
and militia life of Lackawanna County, and 
actively identified with the interests of the 
Hon. William Conncll. Colonel Ripple has a 




splendid Civil War record, and in the affairs 
of the city of Scranton he has long exerted 
a commanding influence and has been inti- 
mately associated with the city's wonderful 
progress and development. He w-as born at 
Mauch Chunk. I'ebruary 14. 1842. He re- 
ceived the benefits of the public schools and 
then took a course at Wyoming Seminary. 
In 1852 his parents settled in Scranton. In 
1862 he began his active life career, and en- 
tered the drug business in Scranton. which 
was interrupted, however, by the war. In 
1862 he raised a company and enlisted in the 
emergency service the Thirteenth Regiment, 
and participated in the bloody battle of An- 
tietain. When his term of service had ex- 
pired he returned home to again engage in 
peaceful pursuits, but upon the invasion of 
Pennsylvania by Lee, in 1863, Colonel Ripple 
again flew to the colors and fought at the 
famous Battle of Gettysburg. With the Con- 
federate chieftain rejjulscd Colonel Ripple 
resumed his life in Scranton. but again to 
have it interrupted by another enlistment. He 
joined Company K of the Fifty-second Penn- 



sylvania \'olunteers. I'lie regiment was with 
General Sherman in his march to the sea, 
and Colonel Ri|)i)le was captured in a night 
attack upon I-ort Johnson an<l thrown into 
the prison pen at -\nilersonville, where he 
underwent its cruelties and horrors for ten 
months, finally being paroled in March, 1865. 
Upon the close of the war Colonel Ripple 
became connected with the Sus(|uehanna and 
Wyoming \'alley Coal Company, and after- 
ward was associated with the business enter- 
prises of William Connell. being a member 
of the firm of William Connell & ('o. For 
thirty years he has been active in politics, 
being Chairman of the Republican County 
Fxecutive Committee and a frequent delegate 
to State conventions. He has been active in 
the Grand Army of the Republic and is Past 
I'omniander of Post 139. He is identified 
with Free Masonry from the Blue Lodge to 
Knight Templar, and is a member of the Elks 
and the exclusive Scranton Club. 

Colonel Ripple was active in the organiza- 
tion of the .Scranton City Guard, and was 
captain of one of the companies: in 1878 he 
became Major of the Thirteenth Regiment, 
then Lieutenant-Colonel, and in r888 Colonel, 
to which he was again elected in 1893. In 
1896 he became Commissary General on the 
staff of Governor Hastings, and was made 
.Assistant Adjutant-General on the staff of 
Governor Stone, which he filled on the staff 
of Governor Pennypacker. Colonel Ripple 
is a Republican, always active in the in- 
terests of his party. He was the first Treas- 
urer of Lackawanna County, being elected in 
1879. He was chosen Mayor of Scranton in 
1886. serving four years, but party dissensions 
encompassed his defeat by a few votes in 
1896. He was made Postmaster of Scranton 
in 1897 by President McKinley. and reap- 
pointed by President Roosevelt in 1901. He 
lias served on the Board of Health, on the 
I'.oard of Associated Charities, on the Board 
of Park Commissioners, and as a member of 
the Board of Commissioners of the Soldiers' 
Orphan Schools of Pennsylvania, in all of 
which all the tender sympathies of his nature 
have had unbounded fields for action. 



Queer Things About the Supreme Court 

I can recall the sensation that the late 
b'ranklin B. Gowan created away back in the 
".seventies" by his bold and audacious attack 
upon the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. I 
was the humble instrument of giving this to 
the world, as I happened to be the only re- 
l)orter present at the meeting and sent the 
story to the Philadelphia Xortli American. 
Mr. Gowan. then President of the Philadel- 
phia & Reading Railroad and coal companies. 



326 



Pcnnsxhaiiia and Its /'uhlic Men. 



appeared before the Committee on Rivers and 
Harbors of the House, at Washington, to 
advocate a liberal appropriation for the im- 
provement of the Delaware River channel. 
The Reading was then shipping coal to east- 
ern Atlantic ports by water, and was a friend 
of the river. 

The policy of the Pennsylvania Railroad, 
then as now, was obstructive to the Delaware 
River. Mr. Gowan having knowledge of this 
fact and that the Pennsylvania controlled the 
bulk of the Congressmen from the Keystone 
State, in a remarkable speech to the commit- 
tee declared, in specifying the political power 
wielded by that corporation, that "It owned 
the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, and that 
that body had sank so low in the esteem of 
the Supreme Courts of other States and that 
its decisions were so notoriously prejudiced 
in favor of the Pennsylvania Railroad, that 
some of them ceased to exchange reports 
with them." He mentioned the Supreme 
Court of Massachusetts as one of them, and 
this astounding averment of Mr. ^IcGowan 
created a stalking sensation, and an investi- 
gation proved, that as far as the Supreme 
Court of Massachusetts was concerned, he 
was entirely correct. But since then the 
Court has arisen in character, dignity, and 
public confidence. 

And this leads me to the story of a candi- 
date for a seat on the bench of the Supreme 
Court. Before this man mastered the prin- 
ciples and the ethics of the law, he was poor 
and struggling, and possiljly his necessities 
compelled him to accept employment from a 
negro policy king who flourished in the Sev- 
enth Ward'of Philadelphia. Being unusually 
bright the negro promoted the young man to 
the position of bookkeeper for his outlawed, 
but police-winked-at, gambling operations. 
Richardson, the policy king, retired to Cape 
May with a small fortune, and his bookkeeper 
became a candidate for the Supreme Court of 
Pennsylvania. 



John Brady 

Real Estate Assessor 

John Brady was for many years one of the 
active Democrats of the Second Ward, Phila- 
delphia, when it was a Democratic stronghold 
and before the character of its population 
changed. His father, Patrick, conducted an 
extensive soap and candle factory at 1 129-31 
Carpenter Street for fifty years, and enjoyed 
a wide reputation in trade circles. John 
Brady was born in the Ninth Ward, March 
14, 1853, the family subsequently moving to 
1 131 Carpenter Street. Second Ward. He at- 
tended the public schools until he was old 
enough to be put to a trade, when he entered 



the big Lcis^niing I'rinting House on Dock 
Street as an apprentice. When this plant was 
destroyed by a great fire and the firm was 
succeeded by Allen, Lane & Scott, he went 
with them as a journeyman. In the meantime 
Mr. Brady had become a factor in the Demo- 
cratic politics of the ward, and in 1882 re- 
ceived the nomination for Select Council. 
This was in the heyday of the Committee of 
One Hundred and three candidates were in 
the field. Captain Denny being on the Republi- 




can and John Thomas on the Reform tickets. 
The outcome was the election of Mr. Brady. 
He served in the City Council until 1885, 
when he received the appointment of Deputy 
Collector under Internal Revenue Collector 
Fred. Gerker, and remained under David 
Martin, Republican, for some time, when he 
resigned and devoted himself to the manage- 
ment of his father's estate. In 1897 Mr. 
Brady was made a real estate assessor under 
the Board of Revision of Taxes on account 
of his political activity, his experience in real 
estate matters fully qualifying him for it. 
He represented the Second Ward in the 
Democratic City Committee for several years, 
and has been a delegate to many Democratic 
State conventions. He was an alternate to 
the National Convention at St. Louis in IQ04. 
I\lr. Brady is prominent and active in building 
and loan associations, being president of the 
Elm and the Triumph Associations and a di- 
rector in several others. He also conducts a 



J'cmisylz-ciiiici and Its Public Men. 



327 



real estate business, and is regarded as an 
authority as to realty. He is a Knight of 
Columbus, a nienihcr of San Domingo Coun- 
cil. He is now a resident of the Third W ard. 



How John P. Elkin was Turned Down 

The true story of the sensational turn down 
of John P. Elkin for Governor, by Senator 
Quay, has really never been told in print, al- 
though it is familiar to the elder statesmen 
of Pennsylvania. It can be .said that he really 
never favored Elkin, although he permitted 
him to go ahead with his fight and was some- 
what astounded by the remarkable success 
that attended his hunt for delegates. I can 
truthfully say that the idea of Quay taking 
up Judge Pennypacker, who was a remote 
kinsman, was ini])lanted in the gray ganglia 
by Col. John W. Frazer, of Philadelphia, who 
wrote him a letter while he was pleasuring at 
St. Luce, suggesting the judge. Quite a corre- 
spondence passed between the two gentlemen 
as to Pennypacker which, at the time, I had 
the pleasure of reading, and having this 
knowledge I was the only newspaper man in 
the State who was able to foretell the outcome 
of the Elkin-Pennypacker-Quay gladiatorial 
combat. To go back Quay was strongly ad- 
vised against making Elkin the State Chair- 
man. He was told that he would rue the day; 
that Elkin was ambitious, and that his ambi- 
tion would in the end bring down trouble on 
the head of the Senator. I was present at the 
champagne set-out in the Hotel Johnson, in 
Washington, that celebrated Quay's choice of 
Elkin for State Chairman, and I was one of 
the few who regarded it with grave concern 
for the "old man." 

Elkin was never sure at any stage of his 
campaign that he had Quay hooked. A per- 
sonal boyhood friend of Elkin and a native 
of his own county met him at the Broad 
Street Station on the morning of Good Friday 
prior to the convention. They went to Kug- 
ler's restaurant on Broad Street, where Elkin 
met I. W. Durham, upon whom he was de- 
pending for the Philadelphia delegation, by 
appointment. Upon this occasion this per- 
sonal friend made the open avowal and cited 
facts to back it up that Quay was misleading 
Elkin. Durham was so strongly impressed 
that he did an unusual thing for him — he 
made a memoranda of the facts stated and 
placed it in his pocketbook. 

The meeting between Quay and Elkin in 
Phila<lclphia, when the former bluntly de- 
clared he could not support him. and which 
created a political sensation at the time, was 
prearranged. Elkin. on his arrival, was met 
by a personal friend who assured him in the 
most positive terms that the jig was up. and 



that Quay had succeeded in seducing Durham, 
his strongest prop, from him. Elkin was loath 
to believe this, and did not hesitate to say 
so. However, he went to the Hotel Walton 
where Durham was in waiting for him, and 
where, it is believed, that Durham reassured 
him that he was still loyal. Elkin then walked 
over to the Hotel Stratford where he had an 
appointment with Quay. When closeted to- 
gether the Senator frankly stated that circum- 
stances required him to support Judge Penny- 
packer, and he denied that lie had ever pledged 
his word to [£lkin. "^'ou have been at great 
expense in this fi,ght, John," said Quay, and 
he seated himself at a desk with his check 
book and said, "I am prepared to write you 
a check to cover the expenses that you have 
incurred." Elkin, who was pacing the floor 
and laboring unfler great excitement, spurned 
the check and boldly asserted that the fight 
would be fought out on the floor of the con- 
vention. The two gentlemen then parted. 
The big wad that Quay employed to defeat 
the nomination of Elkin, came from Presi- 
dent A. J. Cassett of the Pennsylvania Rail- 
road, and it would be interesting to know how 
the contribution was disposed of in the book- 
keeping of the company. Quay, with his per- 
suasive tongue and characteristic powers of 
reasoning felt quite convinced that Elkin was 
being financed by George Gould, and that if 
he should be elected Governor he would urge 
the passage and sign legislation that would 
enable the Wabash Railroad to enter Phila- 
delphia. I have it from the highest authority 
that Quay secured $250,000 from Cassett, and 
that a portion of this soon went to I. W. Dur- 
ham in order to salve his wounded feelings 
in turning over the bulk of the delegation to 
Quay. I shall not relate the story of how- 
Quay's old tactics accomplished the defeat of 
Elkin. Upon the eve of the convention a 
personal friend of Elkin declared to Quay 
that the General had enough delegates to 
nominate him. 

"Yes," snapped the old man. "but how many 
will he have to-morrow morning when he will 
need them?'' I shall never forget the close 
of that remarkable and historical convention. 
The tumultuous and angry crowd that had 
packed the Opera House to suffocation had 
left, and but three men remained. One was 
myself, who was busy closing my telegraphic 
report of the proceedings at a table on the 
stage ; the other two w-ere Senator Quay and 
his son, Dick, who sat in their seats on the 
front row. The face of the old man was 
blanched, he sat silent, overcome with phys- 
ical fear. Outside and on the stairway and 
lobby the voices of embittered and angry 
Elkin men came to his ears, cursing and re- 
viling him, and threatening to kill him. These 



328 



Pciinsxii'aiiia ami Ifs Public Men. 



were strange sounds to fall upon the ears of 
Quay, the political magician, but they brought 
home to him the truth that the people had 
at last found him out, and that the great 
secret of his success was money, bribery, 
money. It was ten minutes before the old 
man and Dick thought it safe to leave the 
hall, which thev did bv the rear entrance. 



Ralph Blum 

Merchant and Man of Affaii 




Ralph Blum, v\lio is one of the leaders of 
the Jewish race of Philadelphia, and one of 
its foremost business men and merchants, is 
a native of France, having been born in 
Alsace, in the suburbs of Strasburg, August 
19, 1861. The family came to America in 
1867-, and settled in Wheeling, West Virginia. 
Ten years later the Blums established tliem- 
selves in Philadelphia, where Ralph attended 
the public schools. The business and com- 
mercial instinct was strong in him. and he 
curtailed his schooling to join his brother who 
had established a factory in Philadelphia for 
the manufacture of women's suits, coats, 
shirt waists, at Seventh and Market Streets. 
This was the foundation of the great busi- 
ness that was later developed by Blum 
Brothers. 

But fifty persons were then employed, which 
can be contrasted with the 2000 and more 



who are now on the pay roll of the firm. 
The house has grown wondrously, starting at 
Seventh and. Market and then going to Thir- 
teenth and Market, where it was destroyed 
by fire, and now occupying a great building 
at Tenth and Market Streets, with branch 
houses in New York, Boston, Paris, and Ber- 
lin. There is no more active or progressive 
business man or citizen than Ralph Blum. 
He is in the forefront of every movement 
for civic betterment, and is particularly noted 
and useful in the field of charities. 

Governor Stone appointed him a member 
of the State Board of Charities, and he was 
reappointed by Governor Pennypacker and 
also by Governor Stuart, thus having served 
under four administrations. He was made a 
Commissioner from Pennsylvania to the Paris 
Exposition of 1901, and he was also a Special 
Commissioner to the same to report on the 
exhibits of agricultural schools. 

Mr. Blum is one of the founders, managers, 
and patrons of the National Farm School, at 
Doylestown, which has proven a great suc- 
cess, and is educating boys to be farmers. He 
is a director of the Bank of Commerce, the 
Copley Cement Company, and Electric Power 
Development Company. He is also active in 
the Trades League, the Board of Trade, the 
Mercantile Club, and the Market Street Mer- 
chants' Association. Mr. Blum is a staunch 
Republican and a liberal contributor to the 
party. He is in every way a man of affairs. 



The Making of Governor Pennypacker 

No one was larger in the game of making 
Judge Pennypacker Governor of Pennsylvania 
than Col. John W. Frazier, whose persistent 
fight for him resulted in bringing Senator 
Quay to his support. The author of this vol- 
ume requested Colonel Frazier to write a 
chapter on the "Making of Pennypacker Gov- 
ernor," and Colonel Frazier's interesting con- 
tribution to Pennsylvania politics follows : — 

Those who have known me longest and 
best, know that while I have aided materially 
in making political leaders, also know that 
when occasion seemed to warrant I never 
hesitated to cross swords with the most in- 
fluential of them, even when they seemed se- 
curely entrenched in power, and their rule 
most arbitrary. Frequently I made a fight 
against James McManes during his despotic 
and selfish sway, as one of Philadelphia's four 
great bosses. 

In the great contest between Governor 
Hastings — coached by David Martin — and 
Senator Quay for supremacy in the political 
rule of Pennsylvania, I measured swords with 
Martin, then apparently supreme in his po- 



Pciiiisvh'Oiiia and Its Public Men. 



329 



litical power in Philadelphia, and who was 
making the effort of his life to secure omnipo- 
tent sway in »lie politics of the Commonwealth. 

At that time 1 was holding the office of 
Registrar of Surveys under Mayor \\ arwick, 
whose administration, under the skillful ma- 
nipulation of Martin, was being used with all 
its vast power and influence against Quay, 
and in the Hastings-Martin interest, supple- 
mented by the influence of the Tennsylvania 
Railroad, directed by \Vm. J. Latta — compre- 
hensive and audacious in action — by the 
Union Traction Company, and the United Gas 
Improvement Company— advised by its safe, 
sagacious, and determined president — by the 
phlegmatic ex-Mayor Fitler and the deep- 
thinking Wanamakcr who, more defiant than 
any of them, with a dash an<l determination 
on his part to crush Quay that seemed irre- 
sistible. The influence of the Warwick-Mar- 
tin administration against Quay was further 
greatly strengthened by that of (lovernor 
Hastings's administration and the whole po- 
litical power of Pittsburg that Chris Magee 
could control, and the influence against Quay 
was great as to men and means. 

There was a mint of money and minds be- 
hind Martin in his fight to dethrone Quay, 
and against it all I stood for Quay from start 
to finish, who appeared to have few in this 
city for him in that contest excepting State 
Senator Penrose, then the recognized leader 
of the Eighth Ward, and Magistrate Israel 
W. Durham, then only a ward leader in the 
Seventh W'ard. In every contest with Martin 
up to that time I had stood with him and for 
him, and he never lost a battle, and in the 
first contest in which we measured political 
cunning, judgment, and sagacity, I felt that 
I was fairly entitled to a modicum of the 
prestige of victory — the greatest political vic- 
tory, all things considered, of Quay's whole 
career, and the most crushing defeat Martin 
ever had. 

As not the slightest degree of honor was 
awarded me by Mr. Durham, who was im- 
mediately commissioned lieutenant-general of 
the Quay forces in the Commonwealth. I con- 
cluded to wait the opportunity. It was always 
a motto with me that, 

"Time, at last, makes all things even, 
-And if we do but wait the hour 
There never yet was human power. 
But could avenge, if unforgiven, 
The patient watch, the vigil long 
Of him who treasures up a wrong." 

At length the opportunity came for me to 
cross swords with Durham — just as it came 
as to Martin — I rejoiced that Durham had 
been made the Quay leader, but I chafed un- 
der the flippant statement made, that my serv- 



ices in the hardest and hottest and most im- 
portant campaign of Quay's life were too in- 
significant to be recalled by Durham, when 
accident had contributed a leadership that was 
sure to bring millions of wealth to him. 

I knew that Durham's heart was set on 
making a governor — with or without the as- 
sistance of Senator Quay. I knew that in 
order to win out against Durham I nuist have 
Quay on my side, hence I set out to evolve 
a candidate for governor who would be more 
acceptable to him than was the Durham can- 
didate. 

I recalled to mind the Saturday afternoon 
succeeding Quay's election as State Treasurer 
when he, Senator Geo. Handy Smith, Col. .\. 
Wilson Xorris. "Dick" Quay, and I met at 
the Continental Hotel. Quay was on his way 
to Atlantic City to recoup from the fatigue of 
that campaign, and bidding "Dick" Quay 
good-bye. Senator Quay said: "'Dick,' you 
are going for a week's visit to our relatives, 
the Pennypackers, of Chester County. It is 
your first visit among them. Don't forget to 
maintain the dignity of the Quay name." 

I further recalled how easily I secured 
.Senator Quay's influence for Samuel W. Pen- 
nypacker for appointment to the Judgeship in 
Common Pleas Court, made vacant by the 
promotion of Judge Mitchell to the Supreme 
Court, and having inherited some Quaker 
blood in my veins I w-as "moved" to make 
Judge Pennypacker my candidate for gov- 
ernor, and to invoke the support of Senator 
Quay for him. It was a long-continued and 
persistent campaign of fifteen months before 
I secured Quay's openly avowed confirmation 
of my choice, and the reason for his long 
delay was that he knew Pennypacker, of him- 
self, could not produce a single delegate to 
the convention, and that Pennypacker was 
the only candidate whom Quay could not. and 
would not, ask for a contribution of a single 
tlollar to aid in his nomination, whereas if 
General Rrooke, of Montgomery County, or 
General Miller, of \'enango, were made the 
Quay candidate, a contribution would be made 
that would have warmed Quay's heart. 

Matthew Stanley Quay knew — indeed no 
one knew so well as he — that if Hon. James 
Donald Cameron were made the Quay candi- 
date for governor, not only would the largest 
contribution ever made to a gubernatorial 
campaign be forthconu'ng, but that an influ- 
ence and support would rally to the Cameron 
standard from every county in the State that 
could not be secured for any other candidate 
in opposition to John P. Elkin. hence the au- 
tograph letter of Senator Quay in which he 
asked "Why not make Cameron the candi- 
date" written just about a month before the 
Stratford Hotel conference, at which Quay 



330 



f'cimsYhz'auia and Its Public Men. 



announced that his candidate for governor 
was Samuel VV. Pennypacker. 

It was my letter' to Senator Quay in re- 
sponse to his suggestion as to Cameron, to- 
gether with Durham's ill-advised declaration, 
that caused him to drop Cameron and make 
Pennypacker his candidate. 

A defiant declaration of Israel W. Durham 
was given to the newspaper press of Pennsyl- 
vania, "that sink or swim, win or lose, he, 
Durham, was for John P. Elkin for governor ; 
that Elkin was a winner, and that before ten 
days Senator Quay would declare for Elkin." 
That declaration led Senator Quay to tele- 
graph to a hundred or more of his faithful 
friends to meet him at the Stratford Hotel 
on the evening of April 23d — generally con- 
sidered a most unlucky date. What took place 
at that conference is herein set forth, repub- 
lished from one of the daily papers of Phila- 
delphia a day or two succeeding the death of 
Senator Quay : — 

Col. John W. Frazier, of Philadelphia, one 
of the few men with whom the late Senator 
Quay was really confidential, possesses a valu- 
able collection of autograph letters from the 
Senator. 

Among the more interesting epistles are 
four which relate to the selection of Samuel 
W. Pennypacker for governor. 

It will be news to the average Pennsyl- 
vanian, including many well informed politi- 
cally, that Colonel Frazier and Senator Quay 
were in correspondence on the subject of 
Judge Pennypacker as a gubernatorial possi- 
bility fifteen months before the Stratford 
Hotel conference, at which was announced 
the substitution of Pennypacker for Elkin. 
These letters indicated clearly that to Colonel 
Frazier belongs the credit of first suggesting 
Pennypacker to Quay as a candidate for gov- 
ernor, and afford reasonable ground for the 
belief that the seed sown by Colonel Frazier 
in the mind of the State boss finallv bore 
fruit in the public "slating" of the Philadel- 
phia judge for the executive nomination. 

The correspondence is notable also because 
it puts Quay on record in his own handwriting 
in confirmation of general public belief in two 
points : — 

First, that Pennypacker's real ambition was 
not to be governor, but a Justice of the Su- 
preme Court. 

Second, that Quay's first preference as a 
gubernatorial substitute for Elkin in 1902 was 
not Pennypacker, Init J. Donald Cameron. 

About the middle of January, 1901, Judge 
Samuel W. Pennypacker, President of Com- 
mon Pleas Court, No. 2, of Philadelphia, 
wrote to the New York Sun, expressing sym- 
pathy for the Boers and condemning Eng- 
land's war policy as brutal in the extreme. 



Colonel Frazier, under date of January 20th, 
wrote to Senator Quay, enclosing a clipping 
of the Pennypacker article from« the Suit. It 
was so unusual for a judge to write for a 
daily paper, suggested Colonel Frazier, that 
possibly Judge Pennypacker had an unex- 
pressed object in view. "Can it be," he asked, 
"that the judge has gubernatorial ambitions; 
that he would rather be governor than a Jus- 
tice of the Supreme Court?" Quay replied: — 

St. Lucie, Fla., January 23, 1901. 
De.\r Fr.azier : I have your letter with the 
judge's letter (to the Sun). I do not exactly 
sympathize with his Boer ideas, but would be 
glad to see him in the governor's chair if it 
could be arranged. 

It is entirely out of his line, however, and 
I don't think his ambition runs that way. 
Thine trulv, 

M. S. Quay. 

Ten months later (November 10) Colonel 
Frazier wrote to Senator Quay, specifically 
urging the nomination of Judge Pennypacker 
for governor, to wdiich Quay replied : — 

Washington, D. C, Noveinber 12, igoi. 

Dear Frazier : I am very much obliged to 
you for your letter of loth inst. Of course. 
Judge Pennypacker would make an excellent 
candidate for governor, and it might be po- 
litic to make a nomination of that kind, but 
my understanding is that the judge wants a 
seat on the Supreme Bench. 
Yours, 

M. S. Quay. 

Under date of December 21, 1901, Colonel 
Frazier wrote to Senator Quay : "I know 
that Judge Pennypacker would like to succeed 
Stone. The judge said to me yesterday: 
There can be nothing in it as I have no word 
from Senator Quay upon the subject. His 
tone and manner led me to believe that he 
wanted to hear from you ; that he was dis- 
appointed in not hearing from you." 

The following response came from Quay : — 

St. Lucie, Brevard Co., Fl.\., Jan. 2, 1902. 

Dear Frazier: The action of the ne.xt 
Republican State Convention is all in the fog. 
The different candidates are at work setting 
up their delegates, and I don't know how far 
their personal partialities will prevail or their 
ideas or party policy. The judge ought not to 
be talked about unless he is to go through, and 
whether he could cannot now be predicted. 
Elkin will be nominated if he is a candidate — 
at least, such is the present outlook. 
Yours trulv. 

M. S. Quay. 



Pciinsxk-aiiia and Its Public Mot. 



331 



About the twelfth of March Colonel Frazier 
wrote to Senator Quay, inviting him to de- 
liver the Memorial Day oration before Colonel 
Frazier's Grand Army Post, and enclosing a 
Pittsburg dispatch, published in the Public 
Ledger of Philailelphia, to the effect that the 
vexed problem of the gubernatorial nomina- 
tion could be settled by Senator Quay himself 
taking the nomination, to which Colonel 
Frazier facetiously added that, after Judge 
Pennypacker first and John W. <Frazier sec- 
ond, he did not know any one whom he would 
rather see governor than Matthew Stanley 
Quay. 

To that letter Senator Quay made reply : — 

St. Llxie, Brevard Co., Fl.\., Mar. 15. IQ02. 

My dear Frazier: I have your letter and 
am much obliged. Kindly convey to your 
committee and the post assurance of my ap- 
preciation of their partiality, and say to them 
that it will be impossible for me to speak in 
Philadelphia on the 30th. 

You will have to look up a fourth candidate 
for governor. Why don't you take Cameron ? 

Thine truly, 

M. S. QfAY. 

The Stratford Hotel conference at which 
Elkin was "turned down" and Pennypacker 
was "slated" for the governorship, took place 
April 23d, only a little more than one month 
after the above letter. With regard to that 
conference and its outcome Colonel Frazier 
said : — 

"About noon on Thursday, .'\pril 24tli. 
David H. Lane, who, with myself, was at the 
Stratford the evening before and met .Sena- 
tors Quay and Penrose, came to my office in 
the Survey Bureau and told me I must see 
Judge Pennypacker at once and ascertain 
from him whether or not he would accept the 
nomination for governor if it were given to 
him. Mr. Lane said it would be folly for them 
to start a movement for the judge and then be 
thrown down by his refusing to accept it. Mr. 
Lane said he woukl await my report at his 
office until I p.m. 

"I immediately went to Quarter Sessions 
Room, No. 2, where Judge Pennypacker was 
engaged in holding court. A few niinut -s 
after I entered a recess was ordered, and im- 
mediately thereafter I met Judge Pennypacker 
in his private room and stated the object of 
my visit. 

"At my suggestion the judge assented to 
meet Mr. Lane the following evening. Mr. 
Lane went to his house on X. Fifteenth .Street. 
At that meeting the judge gave his consent 
to become a candidate for governor." 



Hon. Andrew Jackson Barchfeld 

Pillsburg 

Andrew J. Barchfeld was educated for the 
medical profession which he has followed 
since 1S.S4, but politics having had a strong 
attraction for him. he drifted into public life, 
and in which he has been as successful as he 




luib been as a jili) Mciaii. IIl- is a native of 
the city of I'ittsburg, having been born there 
May 18. 1863, his parents who were German, 
l)eing Henry and Mary (Xeuenhagen) Barch- 
feld. Graduating from the Pittsburg Cen- 
tral High .School, he entered the Jefferson 
Medical College of Philadelphia, and gradu- 
ated in the class of 1884. He returned to 
Pittsburg and entered into practice, and he 
is now regarded as one of the leading physi- 
cians of that city. From his voting age he 
took an active interest in politics as a Repub- 
lican, and a year after his graduation he was 
elected a school director. In 1886 he was sent 
to the Common Council of Pittsburg and 
served but one term, as he found that it was 
interfering with his practice of medicine. Mr. 
Barchfeld enjoys the distinction of being one 
of the most popular and entertaining polit- 
ical stump speakers in Western Pennsylvania, 
and has particfpated as an orator in every 
gubernatorial and presidential campaign since 
i8go. In the strcnous Quay and anti-Quay 
politics of Pennsylvania he figured promi- 



332 



Fciuisxlz'aitia and lis f'lihlic Men. 



nently, and was always in close touch with 
the late Chris. Magee. He was a delegate to 
the Republican State conventions of 1886, 
1894, and 1901 ; was a member of the Repub- 
lican State Conunittee for several terms. In 
1902 he was given the nomination for Con- 
gress in the Thirty-second District, compris- 
ing fifteen wards on the south side of the 
city of Pittsburg, and such great industrial 
boroughs as Carnegie, Homestead, McKees 
Rocks, Duquesne, and West Liberty, but ow- 
ing to a combination being effected between 
the Democrats and Quay Republicans he suf- 
fered a defeat, but by a narrow margin. He 
was again taken up by his party in 1904 and 
elected by a handsome majority to the Fifty- 
ninth Congress, and re-elected to the Sixtieth 
and Sixty-first. 

Dr. Barchfeld is one of the most popular 
men among the membership of Congress, being- 
noted for his agreeable social qualities. He 
is a member of the .South Side Medical So- 
ciety, Allegheny County Medical Society. 
Pennsylvania State Medical Society, and Na- 
tional Medical Association. He is President 
of the Board of Directors, South Side Hos- 
pital. Pittsburg, and on its medical staff'. He 
is also a member of the Union, Lotus, and 
Country and Americus Clubs, State and Na- 
tional League of Republican Clubs, of the 
Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, and the 
German American Alliance. 



John D. Powers 

Select Councilman, Philadelphia 

John D. Powers was born on a farm in the 
Twenty-fourth Ward when that section of 
West Philadelphia was largely devoted to 
agriculture, September 7, 1S61. His father. 
Ayers, was a well-knnwn and prominent citi- 
zen. John D's schooling was limited, and 
ceased wdien he was fourteen, his father's 
farm claiming his entire attention. Mr. Pow- 
ers at his voting age became active in the 
Republican party, which brought him to the 
attention of the leaders. The famous Con- 
gressman, ex-Judge Kelly, had him appointed 
to a position in the U. S. sub-Treasury in 
Philadelphia, where he remained until Cleve- 
land's first election, when he resigned. His 
party worth was fully appreciated, and soon 
thereafter he was made a coke clerk at the 
Ninth Ward Gas Works, where he continued 
until the election of President Harrison, wdio 
appointed him superintendent of the Pas- 
chalville sub-postoffice, which was one of the 
first to be established in the city. Subse- 
quently Mr. Powers was made a deputy col- 
lector of delinquent taxes under Receiver 



John Taylor. In 1898 he resigned that posi- 
tion and established a real estate business at 
7010 Woodland Avenue. L^pon the election of 
John Davidson as Receiver of Taxes he ten- 
dered Mr. Powers the important post of chief 
deputy of the Delinquent Tax Bureau, which 
he capably filled throughout the term of the 
former and that of Receiver Beaston, who 
succeeded him, and for six months under 
Receiver Hugh Black. Mr. Powers then re- 
signed to give his entire attention to his grow- 




ing real estate business, he in the meantime 
associating himself with a partner under the 
firm name of Yocum & Powers, wdio have 
offices at 6940 Woodland Avenue and No. 15 
S. Fifteenth Street. Mr. Powers has seen 
long and continuous service as a Republican 
Ward Committeeman and so served since he 
was twenty-one, a distinction probably that 
can be claimed by no other Philadelphian. 
He was the chairman of the Twenty-seventh 
Ward Executive Committee before the ward 
was flivided, and then became chairman of 
the Fortieth Ward Committee, which he held 
for years. 

Mr. Powers has aKvays taken a keen in- 
terest in educational affairs. He was a school 
director in the Twenty-seventh Ward for a 
long time, and served as President of the 
Fortieth Ward Sectional .School board. In 
1908 Mr. Powers succeeded Samuel Crothers 
as Select Councilman from the Fortieth Ward. 



Fcinisxh'iiiiia and Its Public Men. 



333 



Mr. Powers is a life mcniber of Conrad I'.. 
Day l-odge of Masons, is a member of the 
< )dd I-'ellovvs and the .American Mechanics. 
Mr. Powers is regarded as a man of great 
force of character, and is universally admired 
for his social qualities. 



William F. Beaton 

Police Magistrate 




William F. Beaton is regarded as being one 
■ if the best equipped of the corps of magis- 
trates of Philadelphia. He is of Scotch an- 
cestry on the paternal side, his father having 
been born in Scotland and emigrated to Phil- 
idelphia when nine years old. He learned the 
trade of a machinist, and during his later life 
was the owner of a machine shop in the cen- 
tral city. Mr. Beaton was born in the Fif- 
teenth \Vard, Philadelphia, June 15, 1863, and 
which ward, except for a small interval, has 
been his home throughout his life. His op- 
portunities for an education were limited, as 
he was put to his father's trade as an appren- 
tice when but fourteen, with Thomas Wood. 
a well-known foundryman. He there mas- 
tered his trade, worked as a journeyman, and 
became foreman of the .shop. In the mean- 
time Mr. Beaton had begun to be polit- 
ically active in his ward as a Republican, and 
in 18S7 was elected a member of the Ward 



I'l.xecutive Committee, and which he still is, 
covering a period of iwenly-lwo years. He 
was tendered a position in the City Solicitor's 
office, which he accepted in 1902. He then 
became one of the active lieutenants of State 
."senator Charles L. Brown in the ward, and 
in 1905 he received the nomination for police 
magistrate and was elected, his term expir- 
ing in 1910. Magistrate Beaton is a man of 
more than ordinary intelligence, and during 
his incumbency of the office has become a 
fair, self-taught lawyer. Since 1907 he has 
been a conunitting magistrate in the City Hall, 
a much coveted post. He is a member of the 
I'ifteenth Ward Republican Club, the Win. 
R. Leeds Association, the Pennsylvania Club, 
and Washington Lodge. \'o. 59, l". & .\. M.; 
.^tar of Bethlehem Lodge, Odd Fellows, and 
< )rder of .American Mechanics. 



John Goil & Company 

Contractors 

The fame of this firm in the w-orld of con- 
struction and contract is widespread, and dur- 




ing its long existence it has erected massive 
works which stand as monuments to its skill 
and resources. The firm was founded by John 
Coll. a (ierman, who was born in Wittenberg 
in 1S28, and learned there the trade of a stone 



334 



Pcnnsvk'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



mason. He worked as a journeyman in sev- 
eral of the capitals of Europe, and in 1847 he 
came to America in order to better his con- 
dition. In 1888, having by frugality put aside 
his savings and thus had capital, he organ- 
ized the firm of John Goll & Co., taking 
in his wide-awake and practically trained 
nephews, John A., William H., and George 
Goll, as partners. The business grew to large 
proportions, and the firm was rated high, par- 
ticularly for railroad construction. At the 
death of the -founder the business \vas con- 
tinued by the surviving partners with sub- 
stantial success. In 1907 George and John 
A. Goll retired from the firm, the business of 
which is now conducted by William H. Goll. 
Among the more important contracts that 
have been executed by the firm may be men- 
tioned the Twenty-third Street arch for the 
Filbert Street Elevated railroad, the remodel- 
ing of the Broad Street Station, foundations 
and masonry for the Pennsylvania Railroad 
train shed. Broad Street Station, Pennsylvania 
Railroad freight station at Seventeenth and 
Market Streets, Merchants' Warehouse on 
Shackamaxon Street, the Frankford Junction 
station and tunnel for the Pennsylvania Rail- 
road, Powelton Avenue Station passenger 
tunnel, passenger tunnel at the North Phila- 
delphia Station, elevated freight railroad at 
Thirty-first and Market Streets, tunnels of 
West'Philadelphia Station, Pennsylvania Rail- 
road. Besides these large and important 
works much other railroad construction have 
been done. The firm is now engaged in the 
construction of a massive viaduct at Paulin's 
Kill, New Jersey, for the D. L. & W. Railroad. 
Mr. William H.Goll is a prominent mason and 
Elk, and a member of the Manufacturers' 
Club. 



I am Called a Liar in the United States 

Senate 

I was branded as a liar on the floor of the 
United States Senate by a distinguished mem- 
ber of that body. The following is an extract 
from the minutes of the Senate : — • 

(Washington dispatch to the Phila. Evening Buiietin.) 
Reagan and Stewart — They quarrel and come to 
blows. 

If the persent hot weather continues there will be 
blood on the face ot the moon as it crosses over the 
Senate wing. Two antiques in that dignified body 
got into an altercation yesterday afternoon in the 
Marble Room that might have ended in filling two 
hospital cots if bystanders had not wrested apart the 
two venerable gladiators engaged. Senator Stewart 
is about seventy years old with hair and beard snow 
white. Reagan, the ex-postmaster-General of the 
Southern Confederacy, is seventy-five, and weighs 2.'i0 
pounds. Mr. Reagan was chatting with some friends 
yesterday afternoon when Stewart came along. The 
Nevada 'Senator has just met with a decided defeat 
in the fight he made on Major Powell. Reagan, ou 
the contrary, has been a staunch champion of Powell. 



As Stewart passed. Reagan began chatting him about 
his defeat. Mr. Stewart took one of the samples of 
Texas badinage, then wearied of it. and angrily 
charged Reagan with being a mere tool of Powell. 
Reagan's wrath arose and he retorted in good liind. 
Words ran high until Stewart, besides himself with 
rage, cliarged Reagan with falsehood. Despite his 
seventy-five years and 2~i0 pounds, the ancient Texan 
lumped for the venerable Nevadian and for a moment 
it looked as if the two antiques would indulge in an 
old fashioned fist fight of the date of 1800. Reagan's 
arm shot out for Stewart's eye. but his arm was short 
and he missed. Before Stewart could retaliate, the 
horrified spectators interfered, and the old gentlemen 
were carefully led to sofas and calmed down. Later, 
Mr. Stewart called on Mr. Reagan and apologized, but 
Mr. Reagan haughtily refused to speak to him. 

Mr. Stewart. "Mr. I'resident, a paragraph of this 
kind in differect forms has been going the rounds of 
the papers for the last two or three weeks, and I feel 
it due to the dignity of the Senate to call attention 
to it. Mr. Senator from Texas. Mr. Reagan, and my- 
self are the best of friends, and never on any occasion 
had an unpleasant remark passed between us. We 
have always been the best of friends, and there is not 
a word of truth in the statement. I think that this 
much ought to be said out of respect to the Senate. 
It is said that this quarrel occurred in the Marble 
Room of the Senate. Who invented such a story. I 
am unable to sav. but I want it known that the Sena- 
tor from Texas ■ind myself are friends, and that there 
is no truth whatever in the story." 

Mr. Reagan. "Mr. President, when this publica- 
tion first made its appearance the Senator from Ne- 
vada and myself saw it and talked about it. and 
thought it best to let it go without any notice what- 
ever. But it seems to have circulated rather exten- 
sively, and to have drawn out letters and expres- 
sions" of a kind which indicated that it was not only 
discreditable to that Senator and myself, but dis- 
creditable to the Senate that such things could occur. 
Mr. President. I cannot conceive what could have 
originated this story. Sometimes stories of this kind 
liave some sort of foundation, but there never was 
any controversv. never any ill-feeling between the 
Seiiator and invself. We never met in the Marble Room, 
we never used harsh words to each other, nor as far 
as I have known never felt unkindly to each other. 
So the thing is the work of a genius in lying, a man 
who was prepared to make a lie together without any 
kind of foundation to begin with. I think among 
liars on the part of the newspapers he ought to he 
pensioned lor such an achievement in manufacturing 
a lie that had no earthly foundation." 

(From the Washington Critic:) 

Some men are born great : some achieve greatness, 
and others have greatness thrust upon them. 

Colonel Sam Hudson, the genial. Indefatigable and 
accomplished Washington correspondent of the I'hila- 
delphia Evening Bulletin, is convinced by a recent 
event that he belongs, in one sense at least, to the 
last class. 

It will be recollected that some days ago the Critic 
reprinted from the Bulletin the story of a quarrel be- 
tween Senator Stewart, of Nevada, and Senator 
Reagan, of Texas, in the Marble Room of the Senate. 
This publication led to a personal explanation on the 
part of these statesmen, in the course of which Sena- 
tor Reagan disclosed that the correspondent who in- 
vented that story had a "genius for lying." This was 
taken to mean Col. Hudson. But he was not the in- 
ventor Hence it was clearly a case of having great- 
ness thrust upon him. The fact of the matter is that 
the correspondent of a western paper told the Colonel 
one day that he had a good story ot a quarrel be- 
tween two Senators. It was too late to investigate 
the matter personally, so with the assurance that it 
was all straight Hudson said. "Duplicate it to the 
Bulletin for me." It was duplicated, and Sam, like 
Byron or rather perhaps like Tom Ocheltree. awoke 
oiie morning to find himself great and with "a genius 
for lying" for a man who possesses genius is great, 
if only a great liar. 

But Col. Hudson doesn't relish this specific sort of 
greatness, and as he can't rise in the Senate to a 
personal explanation, nor yet have his remarks spread 
upon the Senate's journal, it is feared that he will 
be compelled to struggle through the world with the 
brand of genius upon him. 



rciiiisxh'oiiia and Its Public Men. 



335 



Hon. A. Mitchell Palmer 

Slroudshurg 

A. Mitchel Palmer, who is serving his first 
term as a nieniber of the Sixty-first Congress, 
is a new force in the Democracy of the 




State, although he has been a factor in the 
Democratic party's affairs in Monroe County 
for some time. Less than forty years old 
when this sketch was written, he has already 
achieved a career and a success in life which 
may be envied by men much older. 

Mr. Mitchell is a native of Stroudsburg. 
coming from good, old Democratic stock and 
Christian people. He had the advantage of 
the public schools, and then was prepared for 
college at a Moravian parochial school, Beth- 
lehem, lie entered Swarthmorc College in 
the fall of i<S<S7. and in 1891 he was graduated 
with the highest honors of his class. He had 
become a proficient shorthand writer, which 
enabled him to secure the appointment of offi- 
cial stenographer of the Forty-third Judicial 
District a year after his graduation from col- 
lege. He had. in the meantime, entered the 
law office of the late Hon. John B. Storm, as 
a student, and applied himself with such dili- 
gence that he was admitted to the bar in 1S93. 
He then formed a law partnership with his pre- 
ceptor, which continued until the death of the 
latter, succeeding to the business of the firm. 
Mr. Palmer practices in the County, -State. 
and Supreme Courts of Pennsylvania. He is 



regarded as a most excellent business man. 
He is a director in the Scranton Trust Com- 
pany, the Stroudshurg .Vational Bank, and be- 
sides is interested in local business enter- 
prises. He has been a member of the Demo- 
cratic State Committee and the Phi Beta 
Kappa Society. Mr. Palmer married the 
daughter of Hon. Robert B. Dixon, of Easton, 
Md„ in 1898. 



James E. Gorman 

Police Magistrate 

James E. Gorman, aside from the reputa- 
tion he has made at the bar of his native city, 
will be best known through his splendid rec- 
ord as a police magistrate and his identifica- 
tion with the movement for the establishment 
by the Legislature of a juvenile court in Phil- 
adelphia and with its practical workings. .An- 
other author has written of him : "In every 
city of the country where the problem of the 
juvenile offender is being considered by stu- 
dents of sociology and penologv", the name of 
the Hon. James E. (jorman. Magistrate of 
Philadelphia, is known." He was born in 




Philadelphia, 1862, and, going through the 
various forms of the public schools, gradu- 
ated from the Central High School. His in- 
clination led him in the direction of the law 
for a profession, and entering the Law De- 



336 



Peiuisvk'Giiia and Its Public Men. 



partment of the University of Pennsylvania, 
he graduated therefrom with high honors. 
While attending the lectures at the University 
he was also engaged in reading law in the 
offices of his uncle, William Gorman, one of 
the foremost lawyers of the Philadelphia 
Courts, and in 1882 he was admirably equipped 
for his admission to the bar. He then en- 
tered upon the active practice of his profes- 
sion. Mr. Gorman early espoused the tenets 
of the Democratic party, and in 1902 he was 
elected a police magistrate. He was prac- 
tically the only trained lawyer of the twenty- 
eight magistrates of the city, and his admin- 
istration of the office met with such commen- 
dation that he was re-elected in 1907, being 
supported by the reform and independent ele- 
ment of fhe city. Upon the establishment of 
the Juvenile Court he became its committing 
magistrate, and so continued until 1909, w^hen 
he declined to serve as such further for the 
reason that his work was hampered by selfish 
and meddlesome influences supposed to be in- 
terested in the welfare of children and coming 
within the jurisdiction of the court. Magis- 
trate Gorman is a strenuous advocate of clean 
government, and a natural foe of polluters of 
the ballot box. 



A Boom that Bursted 

Away back in 1878 some of my admiring 
friends incubated a boom for me for Congress- 
man-at-Large at a sitting with King Gam- 
barinus. A Harrisburg newspaper, the morn- 
ing of the convention, said : — 

"Under the editorial door this morning was 
found a card which said : 

For Congressman-at-Large, 

Samuel Klondike Hudson, 

of Philadelphia. 

"The favor of a handshake with this dis- 
tinguished Philadelphian has not been ours : 
a thing to be regretted, since to know Samuel 
Klondike Hud.son must be a real joy. We 
like the name. It throbs with the explorative. 
Klondike Hudson ! What a brace of bracers ! 
Names that would take a man sailing along 
through life hot or cold. Names that would 
freeze fingers or melt iceburgs. Names that, 
frosted to the mizzenmast of the Democratic 
ship, would drive her, bobbin shot, to the 
very headquarters of a heyday river. By 
all means let Samuel Klondike Hudson have 
something." 

Hugh Mullin, in the Philadelphia Sunday 
World, thus alluded to my congressional 
boom : — 

"Your Sam Hudson isn't as big a dashed 
fool as some of the professed silverites took 
him to be. Sam's leg they sought to pull, and 



Sam allowed them to revel in blissful antici- 
pation. 

"Having once been a congressional candi- 
date, he knew a thing or two — learned in the 
bitter school of experience, and he knew that 
as against Boss Quay's cash, he wasn't knee 
high to a grasshopper. Nevertheless he per- 
mitted the Guffey-Gorman crowd to imagine 
that they were wise — to perfection — 'elongat- 
ing his tibia,' as he tersely put it. Through 
the swelling of Sam's head they sought to 
capture every correspondent here, and they 
seemingly did; but there wasn't one of them 
that wasn't on to the game. 

"Sam's boom for Congressman-at-Large 
went with a whoop until it was intimated that 
his assessment would be $500. Then Sam 
said : 

" 'This d d foolishness has gone far 

enough.' " 



Charles P. Donnelly 

Political Leader 

Charles P. Donnelly, of Philadelphia, has 
a city. State, and national reputation as a 
political leader, and has spent his manhood 
in the turmoil and activities of politics. He 
inherited his democracy from his father, 
Edwin, who was a factor of that party in 
the Twenty-fifth W^ard, and who was engaged 
for thirty years in the malt and spirit trade. 
Charles P. was born in that ward April 27, 
i860, and was educated in the public schools 
and at La Salle College, graduating in 1876. 
He then engaged in mercantile pursuits which 
occupied him until 1883, when he entered 
spiritedly into party affairs in his ward, and 
in 1884 was elected a member of the W^ard 
Executive Committee, subsequently becoming 
its chairman from 1886 to 1888. He was 
elected a member of the City Committee, and 
in 1890 became its chairman. He conducted 
the campaign for Cleveland in 1892, when the 
party polled 93.000 votes in Philadelphia, and 
for Governor Pattison in 1890, when he was 
elected Governor for the second time. He 
has served as a member of the City Commit- 
tee continuously to the present time. In 1899 
he was again elected Chairman of the City 
Committee, occupying that position until 1906. 
He then resigned to take the more important 
position of Chairman of the Democratic State 
Committee. Since 1894 Mr. Donnelly has 
been a member of the Executive Committee 
of the .State Committee, and for several years 
was a divisional chairman. He has been a 
delegate to every Democratic State conven- 
tion for some thirty years, and to every 
National Convention since 1892 with a single 
exception. .At the Kansas City convention of 



J'ciiiisxh'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



33/ 



1900 lie was tlic IV-niis\ Ivaiiia iiKiiibcr of the 
Committee on Resolutions, and he voted 
against the reaffirmation of the Cliicago 16 to 
I Silver riank. Mr. Donnelly served under 
the administration of Sheriff Krumbahr. In 
1892 he was elected a police ma,c;istrate. and 
in 1897 was re-elected. He resigned the 
office in the fall of 1902 to become a candi- 
date for City Commissioner, and was hand- 
somely elected. He was re-elected lor an- 
other term of three years. In 1907 Mr. Don- 
nelly was appointed by the Board of Judges 
to succeed Edward .\. .\nderson as City Com- 
missioner, who resigned to take a seat upon 
the bench. For the last twelve years Mr. 
Donnelly has been engaged in building opera- 
tions and the real estate business as a mem- 
ber of the firm of Domielly & Suess. and in 
which he has been eminently successful. He 
is President of the Xorth Philadelphia Trust 
Company, and was one of its organizers. He 
is a member of Knights of Columbus and the 
Democratic Club. Since he lived in the 
Twenty-fifth Ward he has witnessed it split 
into three additional wards — the Thirty-third. 
Forty-fifth, and Forty-seventh, and now re- 
sides in the latter at Mount .\iry. Mr. Don- 
nelly is a born politician and campaigner, and 
for years has been one of the trusted advisers 
and lieutenants of Colonel Guffey, the State 
leader. 



Dr. Henry Sykes 

l^r. Henry Sykes, who now fills the impor- 
tant and responsible post of resident physician 
of the Philadelphia Hospital, one of the largest 
municipal institutions of its kind in the world, 
has had an extended and varied career and 
experience in hospital practice, and stands in 
the very first rank in his profession. It is 
believed that high honors await him in it, both 
in the medical college forum and in the field 
of medical and surgical literature. Dr. Sykes 
is of English birth. He is a native of the 
ancient town, of Yarmouth, Xova Scotia, and 
was there born in 1861, his father, Simon, and 
mother, Hannah Sykes. He has made Phila- 
delphia his home, however, since 1881, when 
he enrolled himself as a student in the Medical 
Department of the University of Pennsylva- 
nia. Immediately upon his graduation in 18S4 
Dr. Sykes entered upon his long and brilliant 
career in hospital practice. He first thus be- 
came connected with the Wills' Eye Hospital, 
and after a practical service there he went to 
the State Insane Hospital at Norristown. 
where he gained practical knowledge as an 
alienist, and then he became the Superinten- 
dent of the Episcopal Hosi)ital, where he re- 
mained continuously for a period of fifteen 
22 



years. In 190(1 Direitur Coplin, whu is a pro- 
fessor of Jetierson College, selected him by 
reason of his skill and wide and lengthy ex- 
perience in hospital work and practice, for the 
post of Chief Resident Physician of the Phil- 
adelphia Hospital. Dr. .Sykes is exceedingly 
popular with his staff, possessing .social graces 
which, added to his skill, makes him one of the 
most enjoyable of men. He is always the 
thoughtful friend of the struggling voung 
])hysician. who may come un<ler his charge, 
ever ready to give him a helpin.g h;uid and the 




benefit of his own knowledge. \\ hile a Re- 
jiulilican Dr. Sykts has never been perni- 
ciously active in jiarty affairs. He is a mem- 
ber of the Masonic fraternity, of the West 
I'hiladelnhia Republican Club, and the .\nti- 
(obden Club of the Nineteenth Ward. 



Governor Paltison's One Speech 

The late Lewis C. Cassidy. who was the 
political creator of the Hon. Robert E. Pat- 
tison and his trusty pilot, did not have an 
exalted opinion of his ability. Discussing 
him as a stump speaker with me on one occa- 
sion. Mr. Cassidy remarked: "Bob has only 
one speech, but he has the faculty, however. • 
of treating it as a rubber band. He can make 
it short or he can stretch it out, but after all 
it is the same old speech." 



338 



Pciiiisxlz'ania ami I/s [^iil'lic Men. 




Twentieth Century Republican Club of Philadelphia 



Although the Twentieth Century Repubh- 
can Chib of Philadelphia is but a decade old, 
and thus like wine, lacks the flavor of old age, 
of which some of the other representative 
political clubs of the city may boast, yet dur- 
ing its life it has forged to the front with 
great rapidity, and is now their rival in point 
of influence, membership and club accommo- 
dations. Upon its roll are found all the 
active Republican leaders and party workers 
of the Twenty-ninth Ward, and some of the 
neighboring wards, and its large and impos- 
ing club house is a citadel of the Republican 
party, and the scene of its activities for its 
section as well as where its policies are for- 
mulated. The father of the club is the Hon. 
Thomas G. Morris, who represented the dis- 
trict in the Legislatures of 1903 and 1905, and 
was the outcome of political conditions that 
existed at that time. Mr. Morris organized 
the club in October, 1900, and gave to it the 
name of the Twentieth Century Republican 
Club, a charter being granted to it by the 
court. It started with a membership of but 
twenty-five. Its first President was the Hon. 
Thomas F. Cdnnell, who then represented the 
Twenty-ninth Ward in the Legislature, the 



other oflicers who were elected being Thomas 
G. Morris, Vice-President ; Treasurer, Will- 
iam T. Artz ; Recording Secretary, William 
H. Pole, and Financial Secretary, Horace W. 
Worrall. A location was selected for the 
club house at Twenty-sixth and Oxford 
Streets, and the new enterprise immediately 
entered upon an era of growth and prosperity. 
It was admitted to membership in the Re- 
publican State League of Republican Clubs, 
and its delegates have participated in its 
annual conventions. In 1906 the Twentieth 
Century Club had arisen to such prominence 
that it became imperatively necessary that 
larger and more modern quarters should be 
secured, and its financial condition was such 
as to warrant this expansion. In accordance 
with this plan the old site was chosen as being 
most admirably situated from a geographical 
point of view, and the properties on it were 
purchased. This location is the northeast 
corner of Twenty-sixth and Oxford Streets. 
Buildings that occupied it were razed and 
plans adapted to the requirements for an up- 
to-date club house were drawn by a well- 
know-n architect, and the present building was 
erected, it representing an investment of 



Pcinisyk'aiiia and Its Public Moi. 



339 



$8,500. The club took po.sscssion of its new 
home in 1906. which event was distinguished 
by an elaborate house warniin?. a banquet, 
reception and entertainment, which was par- 
ticipated in by a large and brilliant company, 
including the leaders of the party and the 
active Republicans of the Twenty-ninth Ward. 
Since the division of the ward the club has 
added materially to its prestige, membership 
and influence. It is the official headquarters 
of the Ward Executive Connnittee. and the 
scene of the political meetings of the ward, 
there being seating accommodations in the 
large assembly room for several hundred per- 
sons. The club house is built on a lot 16.X87 
feet, and is an imposing structure, three 
stories high. The entire first floor is devoted 
to the assembly room, the second to the pool 
and billiard rooms, buffet and reading rooms. 
The third door is occupied by the amusement 
rooms. Throughout the furniture, decorations 
and accessories are of the most solid and 
pleasing character. The, club now enjoys a 
membership of 600. The club participated as 
an organization in the inauguration of Presi- 
dent Taft in 1909. taking 250 uniformed mem- 
bers to Washington in a special train, and 
adding greatly to the eclat of Philadelphia in 
the inaugural parade. Its present officers are : 
President, James .\. Humphreys : Fir.st V'ice- 
President, John H. Jordan ; Second \'ice- 
President, John Hays : Recording Secretary. 
George W. Winters ; Financial Secretary, 
John Lieb; Treasurer, Thomas G. Morris. 



Hon. John T. Lenahan 

Wilkes-Bane 

John T. Lenahan is one of the leading law- 
yers of the northern tier, a man who has made 
his mark at the bar, as well as in the political 
arena. He possesses all the essential and in- 
herent qualities for a bold and successful 
practitioner of his profession. He is strong 
and eloquent as a pleader, skillful at cross- 
examination, and is renowned for the caus- 
ticity and brilliancy of his court-room rep- 
artee. 

Mr. Lenahan is a native of Luzerne County, 
having been born in Jenkins Township. Xo- 
vember 15, 1852, his father, Patrick, having 
been a man of much ability and influence in 
his community. Having received all the bene- 
fits of the public schools the future Congress- 
man entered \'illa Xova College and gradu- 
ated with honors. He subsequently received 
the degree of LL.D. from that institution. 
Having determined to adopt the law for a 
profession. Mr. Lenahan entered the offices 
of fudges Rhone and Lvnch. of Wilkes-P.arre, 



and applied himself so assiduously to his 
studies, that he was admitted to the bar 
when but tweiily-ime years (jf age. an occur- 
rence somewhat remarkable. Mr. Lenahan is 
one of the acknowledged leaders of the Lu- 
zerne County bar. and has been retained in 
all the notable cases that have come before 
the county courts during the last thirty years. 
1 le represented the independent coal operators 
before President Roosevelt s Coal Commis- 
sion in 1900. Mr. Lenahan early identified 
himself with the Democratic party, and fought 
bis way to party leadership, but not without 
many bitter and e.xciting struggles. In the 
last quarter of a century he has made many 
of the successful local candidates of his i)any, 
but always refused office for himself mitil 
1906. when he was persuaded to become a 
candidate for Congress at a great personal 
sacrifice, and this afforded an opponmiity of 
testing Mr. Lcnahan's popularity. The seat 
had been in possession of the Republicans for 
a number of years, but so well was he known 
and admired that he was elected over two 
other competitors, receiving 16.176 votes to 
9627 for P.ennett J. Cobleigh. Republican, and 
5197 for William A. Deltry. Socialist. 

In 1S92 he was a delegate to the Demo- 
cratic National Convention, and a delegate- 
at-large to the Chicago Convention of 1896, 
anil on the committee to notify Bryan of his 
nomination. 

Mr. Lenahan served with distinction in the 
Sixtieth Congress, and refused a renomina- 
tion. In the State Democratic Convention of 
1908, Mr. Lenahan delivered a notable speech 
in opposition to the proposition to instruct the 
Xational Delegates for W illiam J. Bryan for 
I'resiflcnt. and he was prophetic when he 
boldly declared that it would be impossible for 
the party to elect him. Mr. Lenahan is a 
member of the Loyal Legion and one of the 
projectors of the Wyoming \'alley Trust Co. 



A Story of the Johnstown Flood 

Colonel Hob Orr, who was a tidewaiter in 
the Philadelphia Custom House, was the real 
and unsung hero of the Johnstown floofl. 
Colonel Orr was on the statf of A<ljutant- 
(ieneral Hastings at the time of that awful 
cataclysm, and the hard work he performed 
in bringing order out of chaos he never got 
the real credit for. Upon the other han<l. 
General Hastings received it all. and it event- 
ually made him governor. 

I was sitting in the L'nited States Sub- 
Treasury, awaiting my turn to be ushered 
into the office of .-Vssistant Treasurer Walters, 
when Colonel Orr passed by eating a clove. 
He paused and told me this story: — 



540 



I'cmisylz'aiiia and lis I'liblic Men. 



'"When wc were at Johnstown, Colonel 
Horn and myself were at the depot one day 
overhauling the supplies that were coming 
in for the sufferers. 

"Hello! here's a keg of whiskey," he said. 
"Suppose I send it over to our headquarters." 

".\ll right." said I. 

"When we got there he wanted to sample 
the stuff. He proceeded to open the bung- 
hole. 

"Bring me that cup and let us try it," said 
he, pointing to a coft'ee cup. 

I picked up the cup, and looking into it to 
see if it was clean, saw a round and shining 
object in the bottom. 

"What is this tiling?" said I. 

Colonel Horn looked at it and began laugh- 
ing. 

"Well, dang my soul, if that isn't just like 
I )r. Huedokoper. He's gone off to see a pa- 
tient and has left his glass eye in this cup." 

"Well, we sampled the contents of that keg. 
I must confess that I never tasted whiskey 
that had the flavor of that whiskey. Torch- 
light procession. Jersey lightning, fortv rod. 
killeni quick, Chinese and rot-gut are jewel 
brands compared to what that was. 

"The next day I was passing headquarters 
and Colonel Horn hailed me." 

"You know that whiskey we drank yester- 
dav?" 

"Yes." 

"It wasn't whiskey." 

"It wasn't?" 

"No." 

"What was it then?" 

''It was embalming fluid." 

''Dang my buttons." 

"Want some more?" 

"I'll just wait now, Horn, until I've passed 
in my checks. Then the undertaker can give 
me some." 



William Findlay Brown 

When the efficient District Attorney of 
Philadelphia County. Samuel P. Rotan, was 
looking about for a chief of staff who would 
carry into effect all his own high ideals as 
prosecutor of the third largest city in the 
country, he chose from the members of the 
bar of Philadelphia, a gentleman of distin- 
guished lineage, of remarkable attainments as 
a lawyer, and of prominence in civic life of 
the commimitv, in the person of \\illiani 
Findlay Brown. 

Born in Philadelphia July 23, 1861, having 
received his early education in the school at 
Chester and Race Streets, he was graduated 
from the \\'ilmington Conference Academy, 
at Dover, Del., in 1S76. To complete his 



education he attended Lafayette College, at 
Easton, Pa., and was graduated from that in- 
stitution, in 1880, with high honors. 

His great grandfather. William Findlay, 
was (iovernor of Pennsylvania, on the |)ater- 
nal side, and his grandfather, Francis K. 
Shunk. was also a governor of this State, he 
being on the maternal side. His own father 
was a member of Congress of Pennsylvania, 
Collector of the Port of Philadelphia, and a 
distinguished figure in the aft'airs of the .State 




and nation. He enjoyed the friendship and 
companionship of Andrew Jackson, Henry 
Clay. Daniel Webster, and other great na- 
tional figures of the time. 

When Mr. Brown concluded liis college 
course he took up the study of law, and began 
its practice in 1891, since which time he has 
devoted his entire time to it. As a young 
man he was recognized as a leader, and one 
who would inspire confidence. He was nomi- 
nated and elected oif the reform ticket to 
Select Council from the Twenty-second Ward, 
and served from April, 1893. to April, 1896. 
Throughout the entire time he represented 
the Twenty-second Ward in Select Council 
Mr. Brown was ever on the alert to secure 
substantial and needed improvements for his 
constituents, and many of the strides of de- 
velopment in the Germantown and Chestnut 
PI ill sections, as well as other sections of the 
city, are due to him. 

Among measures which owe tiieir passage 



Pciiiisyli'iViia and lis J'lihlic Men. 



341 



in a lartre ilcgrcc to him wtTL- tlic ordinanci's 
appropriating $130,000 for the improvement 
of roads and giving employment to hundreds 
of needy men during the depressed period of 
i^'93. His advocacy resuhed in removing the 
Washington Monument from Independence 
Sipiare. and tlie reduction to the minimum of 
the mandamus evil. He was the pioneer in 
the City Councils in the movement that re- 
sulted in the widening of Delaware Avenue. 
Since his retirement from council, despite the 
ohligations imposed upon him hy his law prac- 
tice. Mr. Brown continues to devote most of 
his time with affairs which have to do with 
the uphuilding of Philadelphia. He is coun- 
sel for a large nuni1)er of corporations, and as 
such is associateil with the financial and husi- 
ness affairs of the city to a considerable ex- 
tent. Mr. Brown is one of the Board of 
Directors of the Chestnut Hill Hospital, and 
his kindness of heart and humane feeling is 
of such a character that he devotes himself 
to the interest of the hospital and its patients 
unselfishly. 

.■\s a sportsman Mr. Brown is well and 
favorably known as an expert shot, and as a 
golf player he has few peers in the ranks of 
the amateurs in Penn.sjlvania. 

Since his appointment as the first assistant 
district attorney, his services rendered in that 
post were of such conspicuous value in his 
handling of homicide cases (of which branch 
of the Connnonwealth's prosecution he is in 
charge) that it attracted the attention of the 
leaders of his party in the State, and during 
the session of the legislature of 1909, by spe- 
cial Act of .Assembly, the post of Deputy Dis- 
trict Attorney for the County of Philadelphia 
was created for him. This place he fills with 
the same ease and ability as he did all other 
posts in public life in the past. 



William J. Barton 

Member of Legislature 

William J. Barton, who has now repre- 
sented the Seventh Ward, Philadelphia, in 
the Legislature for two sessions, is a popular, 
diligent and painstaking member of that body. 
He has seen services upon some of the most 
important committees, having as his political 
backer the Hon. Israel W. Durham. He was 
born in Ireland, near the tow-n of Romagh. 
County Tyrone, in 1862. This is the county 
from which a number of the most influential 
politicians, who have figured in Philadelphia 
for the last half century, were born. Mr. 
Barton came to America in 1S79, at the age 
of sixteen years. He choose as his trade that 
of iron moulding, and found employment with 



the firm of Jannet & Banner. He was em- 
ployed on the erection of the new City Hall 
in Philadelphia, and while working at a high 
altitude accidentally fell from a height of 65 
feet, injuring himself so severely that he was 
confined to a hospital for eighteen months, 
Mr. Barton cast his first vole for fames G. 
Blaine in the Twenty-fifth Division of the 
Seventh Ward, which has l>een his home ever 
since. I'rom his first vote he has been ex- 
tremely active as a Republican, and for 
twenty-three years has held a seat in the Re- 
publican Kxeculive Committee of the Seventh 
\\ard. He has also been a member of the 
Sectional School Board for seventeen vears, 
and takes a keen interest in the educational 
affairs of the ward. In 1907 he received the 
nomination for the Legislature, and was 
elected by an overwhelming majority. When 
the municipal department of Wharves, Fer- 
ries and Docks was organized in 190H, Mr. 
Barton was appointed to the position of Dock 
Master, which he creditably filled until his re- 
election to the Legislature in November of 
that year. 

He is a man of engaging social qualities, 
and it can be said of him that he has made 
a success of life. He is a member of the Pen- 
rose Republican Club. 



How Lewis C. Cassidy Was Surprised 

I once gave Lewis C. Cassidy, the great 
criminal lawyer and Democratic leader of 
Philadelphia, a surprise as to negro political 
morality. I was very much interested in the 
campaign of James Gay Gordon, a protege of 
Mr. Cassidy. for Common Pleas Judge, he be- 
ing a candidate against Judge P.riggs, wdio had 
rendered himself unpopular, and who had met 
with a defeat at the polls and desired a vindi- 
cation. I remember I spent the larger portion 
of my Sunday's at Mr. Cassidy's office address- 
ing Mr. Gordon's campaign circulars. 

Gil Ball, the proprietor of a saloon and 
dance hall on Lombard Street, was the strong- 
est and most popular political leader the 
negroes then had. He was the founder and 
backer of the M. S. Quay Club. He was tall, 
handsome, a fashion plate for dress, and the 
soul of honor. His wife was a \'irginian girl 
and famous for her fried chicken and roly- 
poly, of which I more than once ate. I suc- 
ceeded in bringing Ball around to favor 
Gordon for Judge. I knew he could do won- 
ders for him among the colored voters. I 
spoke to Mr. Cassidy about my "find." but he 
declared that it would be a waste of time to 
see him. as a "nigger couldn't be kept bought 
for a Democrat.'' "But you can't buy ("lil 
Ball." I said, "when he voluntarilv swears in." 



342 



Painsxk'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



"All right, Sam, bring him in," replied Mr. 
Cassidy in a tone that showed he had no faith 
in the proposition. He had, of course, heard 
of Ball, but had never seen him. 

One afternoon the negro leader and myself 
visited Mr. Cassidy's office, and I introduced 
them. I noted that Mr. Cassidy was surprised 
at his make-up and evident high order of 
intelligence. They talked about the Gordon 
campaign, and Ball stated that he had decided 
to oppose the election of Judge Briggs. "You 
can give yourself no concern about a large 
portion of the negro vote," he declared. 

A huge pile of Gordon circulars stood on a 
table, and Gil Ball, going over to it, picked up 
an armful, saying, "I will give these out over 
my bar, and you can send me down some 
more." Mr. Cassidy, reaching down to a 
•drawer in his desk, pulled out a big wad of 
money and attempted to give it to him. Ball 
threw down the circulars, and his anger rising 
and his eyes flashing, he said: "See, here, Mr. 
Cassidy, you've got hold of the wrong man. 
You couldn't buy me with money to make this 
sort of a fight. If money's to enter into it I 
shall quit now." Mr. Cassidy, who showed his 
surprise, remarked that sinews were necessary 
in war. "Not that kind of sinews are neces- 
sary for me," was the angry retort. Mr. Cas- 
sidy fittingly apologized, and Ball was molli- 
fied. He made good on election day, it may be 
said, and ever after that when Mr. Cassidy 
wanted Gil Ball in politics he always got him, 
and when Gil Ball required legal services Mr. 
Cassidy saw that he got them. 



John M. Patterson 

Assistant District Attorney 

John M. Patterson, whose friends believe 
has a brilliant future in store for him at the 
bar, has had an exceptional practical training 
and schooling in his profession in the service 
of the city. This has been in both the civil 
and the criminal branches, so that he can be 
said to have had superior advantages to those 
which befall the average member of the 
junior bar. He has established a fine reputa- 
tion as a master at cross-examination, and as 
a jury lawyer he has few equals among the 
younger set. Mr. Patterson is a Philadel- 
phian, but of North of Ireland ancestry. 
He was born in 1874, his father being 
Richard Patterson, who was a political force 
in the Fifteenth Ward, a long service mem- 
ber of the Legislature, and noted for his 
wit and "Irish "assurance." Mr. Patterson's 
primary education was confined to the public 
schools, but determining to become a lawyer, 
he entered the offices of F. Carroll Brewster 



and took a course in the Law Department of 
the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 
1896. He then began a general practice and 
met with success. Mr. Patterson took to poli- 
tics naturally and followed his father into the 
Republican party. His party activity led to 
his appointment upon the staff of City Solici- 
tor Kinsey, where he acquitted himself credit- 
ably and which led to his promotion in the 
city's service, he being selected by District 
Attorney John C. Bell, in 1904, as an Assist- 
ant under him. The value of his services were 
recognized by Samuel P. Rotan, the successor 
of Mr. Bell, who retained him in the office 
where he still remains. Mr. Patterson has 
been identified for several years with the 
First Regiment State Guard, and served with 
it during the campaign in the Spanish-Amer- 
ican War. He went out as a Color Sergeant 
and returned as First Lieutenant of Company 
A. Mr. Patterson is a member of the First 
Regiment Veteran Corps, Spanish-American 
War \'eterans, the Young Republicans, the 
Brewster Club, Law Association, and the 
University Alumni Association. 



Thomas B. McAvoy 

Philadelphia 

Thomas B. McAvoy is one of the oldest 
downtown political landmarks. He has lived 
to see a great city grow up south of South 
Street and west of Broad. Mr. McAvoy says 
that his first remembrance of Philadelphia 
was that the big region below South Street 
was devoted to truck farms and brickyards, 
and with only a few scattering dwellings in 
addition to the farmhouses. West of Broad 
Street there was nothing except W'Oodland 
and a few country seats. The site of the 
LTnion League was a brickyard. He can re- 
member when a chain was stretched across 
Broad Street on Sunday mornings so that the 
noise of passing vehicles would not disturb 
the sermons of the famous Dr. Chambers 
whose church stood where the North Ameri- 
can Building now stands. Mr. McAvoy once 
had the pleasure of upsetting a plan of M. S. 
Quay to nominate State Senator Walter B. 
Roberts, of Crawford County, better known 
as "Torpedo" Roberts, for Governor. This 
was at the State Convention of 1886. The 
friends of General Beaver were urging him, 
however, for a vindication, as he had been 
defeated four years previously, and he had a 
rival in General Osborne, a military hero of 
the war. from Wilkes-Barre. The delegates 
to the Republican conventions were then 
elected by senatorial districts, and Mr. Mc- 
Avoy headed the list, representing the First 



Pcnusxlzania and Its Public Men. 



343 



District. When tlic roll was called on the 
nomination for Governor Mr. Mc.\voy voted 
for tjeneral Oshornc. His vote was taken as 
a cue by many of the other delegates who had 
been framed up for Dr. Roberts, they think- 
ing a change in the plans had occurred and 
enough of them voted for Osborne to defeat 
Roberts and give the nomination to Beaver. 
Quay was exceedingly angrj' at the occur- 
rence. The McAvoys have been in Philadel- 
phia since 1840. In that year the family, in- 




cluding Thomas B., having pulled up stakes 
in the County Down, Ireland, arrived in Phil- 
adelphia on the sailing packet "Arabella." 
There was more Scotch than Irish in their 
blood. They settled at Thirteenth and Fed- 
eral Streets, and the father, Frank, obtained 
employment as a mechanic. Thomas B. was 
one of the first pupils of the Jackson Public 
School, in 1847, at Twelfth and Fetleral 
Streets. At eleven years old he went into the 
brickyards at "bearing ofif." Then later he 
learned the trade and became a journeyman 
and then a foreman. He was President of the 
Journeyman Brickmakers' Union, and as such 
takes pride in the reminiscence that he suc- 
ceeded in having the pay increased from $36 
per month to S4 per diem without resort to a 
strike. In 1872, having saved some money. 
Mr. McAvoy started in the brick business on 
his own account at Twenty-third and Dickin- 
son Streets, and continued there with success 
until 1894, when he organized the Mc.Xvoy 



Nitrified Brick Company, establishing the 
plant at Perkiomen Junction on the main line 
of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, and 
which has been ilevelo])ed into the largest in 
the United States with a capacity of 15,000,- 
000 bricks per year. .Mr. Mc.\voy is still its 
president. He took a keen interest in public 
affairs, but had no taste for public ofiice. He 
was induced to accept the Republican nomi- 
nation for Conunon Council from the Twenty- 
sixth Ward in 1878. In 1891 Mr. Mc.Avoy 
figured in one of the most unique and excit- 
ing ward political contests ever witnessed in 
Philadelphia. His friends insisted upon 
bringing him out as a candidate for Select 
Council against Robert Henderson, who had 
served a term. There were gross frauds at 
the election for delegates, and McAvoy got 
the worst of it. The nominating convention 
was a pandemonium and it si)lit, it being 
clearly evident that McAvoy had been robbed. 
The Republican City Committee decided, how- 
ever, that Henderson was the regular nomi- 
nee. This aroused the ward to fever heat, 
and then the famous battle of "Wee Bobbie" 
and "Big Tom," the latter as an independent 
candidate. The ward was shaken to its cen- 
ter, rival parades and meetings, flaming ad- 
vertisements, and an unstinted expenditure of 
money were brought into the struggle, which 
resulted in an overwhelming victory for Mr. 
McAvoy. He sat but one term. His son, 
.Alexander C, has for several years repre- 
sented the ward in Select Council. Mr. Mc- 
.\voy is a member of Lodge Xo. 432, F. & 
.'\. M., and the Patriotic Order Sons of Amer- 
ica. He has been a communicant of Cham- 
bers Presbyterian Church for forty years. 
Mr Mc.Xvoy is now in his seventy-first year, 
a giant physically, his children taking after 
him. 



Hon. Edward Francis Blewitt 

Lackawanna 

Edward Francis Blewitt, contracting and 
consulting civil engineer, is one of the active 
and leading Democratic members of the State 
Senate of Pennsylvania, representing the 
District of Lackawanna. He is a native of 
Louisiana, and was born in the city of New 
Orleans, January 2, 1R59. and where he re- 
ceived his primary education. He was then 
entered as a student of Lafayette College, 
taking a four years' course, and graduating as 
a civil engineer in the class of 1S79, He then 
took up his residence in Scranton, where he 
entered upon the successful prosecution of 
his profession as a civil engineer, the large 
coal mining operations of that region afford- 
ing him fine opportunities. He soon attained 



344 



Pcimsvk'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



a high rank in his chosen profession, and was 
appointed the City Engineer of Scranton in 
1883, serving in that capacity imtil 1893. Im- 
mediately upon becoming a citizen of Scran- 
ton he entered politics as a Democrat, and 
became a member of the board of school 
control, serving one term, ending in 1884. 
He was selected as one of the strongest and 
most popular Democrats of the county in 
1906 as the candidate for the State Senate, 
and the wisdom of the choice was made ap- 
parent through his election after an excit- 
ing and stubbornly contested campaign by 2. 
172 majority. Senator Blewitt is the father 
of a number of legislative enactments of spe- 
cial benefit to the city of Scranton. _ He is 
a man of many lovable qualities, and is noted 
for his strong friendships. 

Since he retired from the public service in 
Scranton, Mr. Blewitt has been at the head 
of some of the greatest engineering schemes 
undertaken by the government of Mexico and 
by concessions from that country, work that 
was stupendous in its character, but all of 
which has been carried forward most success- 
fully and to the lasting credit of the young 
engineer who wrought out their details. Be- 
sides these undertakings Mr. Blewitt has 
found opportunity to engage in some gold and 
silver mining development in the rich Mon- 
tana fields, and which have resulted in the 
locating of several valuable mines which are 
being operated by the Edward F. Gold Mining 
Co., in which many of the leading men of 
Lackawanna are interested. This company 
was organized in August, 1903. and they have 
their mines in full operation, producing large 
quantities of rich ores. 



The following was indicted to the late 
Maurice F. Wilhere and his chairmanship of 
the Democratic City Committee of Philadel- 
phia : — 

The stars above will cease to shine 

When Wilhere quits the chair. 
The bosses will their crowns resign 

When Wilhere quits the chair. 

Our millionaires will help the poor. 

Physicians will not kill, but cure. 

And Councils will be good and pure. 

When Wilhere quits the chair. 

City Councils will economize 
When Wilhere quits the chair. 

The Times no more will deal in lies 
When Wilhere quits the chair. 

The Coxey scheme will win the day. 

The month of June will come in May, 

And the Pope will join the A. P. A., 
When Wilhere quits the chair. 



Dave Lane will cease to legislate 
When Wilhere quits the chair. 

Prohibs. will all get on a skate 
When Wilhere quits the chair. 

Speak-easies will be free to run. 

Installment men will cease to dun. 

The moon will overpower the sun. 
When Wilhere quits the chair. 

The traction roads will fares reduce. 

When Wilhere quits the chair. 
-Saloons will sell no spoopju juice 
When Wilhere quits the chair. 
Defunct will be the coupon fake, 
Ci. Cleveland will Free Trade forsake. 
And "pugs" will fight without a stake, 
When Wilhere quits the chair. 

Old Prob the truth will always tell 
When Wilhere quits the chair. 

Brazilians w-on't again rebel 
When Wilhere quits the chair. 

Xo dude will smoke a cigarette, 

John Hill on candidates won't bet. 

And water won't be very wet, 
\A'hcn Wilhere quits the chair. 

Harritv will with McAIeer agree 
W'hen Wilhere quits the chair. 
The British will set Ireland free 
When Wilhere quits the chair. 
Herr Most will wash his hairy face. 
The Item won't be pressed for space. 
And Breckinridge will win his case. 
When Wilhere quits the chair. 

The South will have no lynching mobs 
When \\'ilhere quits the chair. 

^Mullen will resign his jobs 

When Wilhere quits the chair. 

Led on by Morry's action rash. 

The universe, with awful crash. 

Will split apart and go to smash. 
When ^^'ilhere quits the chair. 

— S.\M Hudson. 



Acheson M. Manning 

Manufacturer 

Mr. Acheson ]\r. ]\Ianning is a prime factor 
in the city's importance. His factory premises 
are located at 1449 S. Thirteenth Street, where 
he manufactures overalls, shirts, and imports 
lace and lace certains. It is safe to add 
that Mr. Manning is one of the leaders in his 
line, and his trade territory covers the entire 
country. He first saw the light of day on 
August 8, 1869, the Quaker City being his 
birthplace. He received a thorough public 
school education, and was graduated there- 
from in i88s, and is the son of William A. 



Pciutsyhaiiin and Its Public Men. 



345 



ami Margaret Manning. Upon leaviMg school 
young Manning entered the employ of the 
well-known wholesale house of Brainard & 
Armstrong, and after familiarizing himself 
with the business, he started for himself in the 
retail drygoods. having established, in 1886. 
remaining in this capacity until 1892. In this 
latter year he added the lace business and was 
located at that time at 1020 Chestnut Street. 
Some idea of the magnitude of his business 
may be gleaned from the fact that in one year 
he made a record by doing a volume of busi- 
ness amounting to over $225,000. He re- 
mained in this capacity for seven years, from 
1892-99. Mr. Manning has always been a 
stalwart, and while his ambition did not arise 
to anything great in politics, be it said to 
his credit that he served as a school director 
with marked efficiency from 1897-1900. 

It is not alone in manufacturing and polit- 
ical circles that Mr. Manning is so well known 
and highly esteemed, but he is also closely 
identified as a Free and .Accepted Mason, be- 
ing a member of the Harmony Lodge, Xo. 
456; Mary Commandery, Xo. 36, and in the 
political arena he is identified as an influen- 
tial member of the East End Republican Club. 
William R. Leeds .Association, Twenty-sixth 
Ward Republican Club, and Thirty-second 
Ward Republican Club. He is not only gen- 
erally esteemed for his ability from a busi- 
ness standpoint, but he is generally respected 
as an all around good fellow. 



Josiah Howard 

Emporium 

Josiah Howard. Chairman of the Commit- 
tee on Ways and Means of the House of 
Representatives, is one of the leading business 
men of Cameron County. He is a native of 
W'illiamsport, Lycoming County, Pa., where 
he was born January 3, 1861, and is the son 
of Charles B. and Lucretta .Morris Howard. 
Mr. Howard removed to Emporium in 1887. 
and was admitted to partnership with his 
father in the lumber business, which he still 
conducts, having saw^ mills in that town. He 
is also interested in other business enterprises 
and financial institutions. He early identified 
himself with the Republican parly, and in 1903 
was elected Burgess of Emporium, and in the 
same year became \"ice-President of the Penn- 
sylvania State Sabbath School .Association, 
In 1904 Mr. Howard was elected to the Leg- 
islature and again in 1906, and at the session 
of 1905 was made Chairman of the Commit- 
tee on Ways and Means, having in charge all 
revenue measures. He was re-elected in 1908. 
He was married to Laura .Ann Bisel, Tune 7, 
1886. 



A Wonderful Tree 

The above picture represents an ancient and 
enormous tree monarch that stands on the 
lawn of Col. Sam Hudson's residence on the 
Rainbow Farm. It is a mulberry tree, and 
provides provender ff>r a mulliuuie of feath- 
ered songsters, including the mocking bird. 
It is the oldest and most gigantic tree in all 
that section of the South. Under its hospi- 
table shade the Indians gathered for their 
oyster roasts, as the lawn which it shades is 
underlaiil for maiiv feet with shells and it 




;>x*i.Cv.-- 



was standing there on the bank of the James 
River when John Smith and his party, the 
first white men in the new world, passed by 
on the way to found the settlement at Janies- 
tow'n. It requires the miited arms of four 
men to span the massive trunk. Its age is 
estimated at a thousand years. The venerable 
relic looks as though it had been ill used, ami 
so it has. During the great drought in the 
fall of 1908 the farmer attempted to drive 
out a colony of rats from its decayed trunk 
and accidentally set it on fire. It burned for 
thirty-six hours, although the fire was actively 
fought and was finally extinguished with 
water taken from the river. It may be said 
that possibly this fire visitation was a blessing 
in disguise, since the tree, being relieved of 
its decay as from a surgical operation, has 
been rejuvenated and taken <\n a new lease 
of life. 



346 



Pcnnsxk'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



Hon. M. E. McDonald 

Scranton 

Michael E. ]\IcDonald is one of a galaxy 
of younger men of the City of Scranton, who 
through their legal abilities, industrial pro- 
motions, and activities in politics have made 
the world hear of her. A battalion of am- 
bitious voting men who began the real world's 
conflict with him in Lackawanna and with 
whom he was familiar have all scored signal 
successes. Mr. McDonald first saw life in 
the town of Hawley, Wayne County, in Sep- 
tember, 1858. His parents removed to the 
borough of Dunmore when he was six years 
old and there he grew up and had his primary 
schooling. He took a classical course in 
Wyoming Seminary, Kingston, and having 
determined upon the law as a profession, he 
was registered as a student in the law offices 
of the Hon. Lemuel Ammerman, one of the 
best known lawyers of the Lackawanna bar. In 
October, 1883, he was admitted to practice in 
the County Courts, and in 1886 he was ad- 
mitted to practice before the Supreme Court 
of Pennsylvania, and in the United States Cir- 
cuit Courts. He enjoys a large and expand- 
ing civil practice, especially in the Appellate 
Courts and commands large fees. Politics 
drew him as a magnet immediately upon ar- 
riving at voting age, and soon after casting 
his first vote he was chosen one of the auditors 
for the borough of Dunmore. He identified 
himself with the Republican party. In 1884 
he was elected school director, serving for 
three terms, two of which as president of the 
board. Mr. McDonald was then looked upon 
as one of the rising young men of the county, 
and in 1886 received the nomination for Rep- 
resentative in the Legislature from the old 
Eighth district, and was elected. His course 
in the body was so satisfactory to his con- 
stituents that his re-election followed. In 1890 
he was regarded by the Democratic party 
leaders as the strongest candidate they could 
put up for State Senator, and after a spirited 
contest in which he displayed splendid abilities 
upon the stump, he was elected. While in the 
Legislature, he was given some of the most 
important committee assignments and was ex- 
tremely active in behalf of measures for the 
benefit of labor. He secured the passage of 
the bill providing an additional law judge in 
Lackawanna County ; was earnest in the work 
of securing the passage of the mechanics' lien 
law which gives the laborer and mechanic 
equal rights with the material men. He twice 
introduced the Employers' Liability bill, but 
this did not reach passage during his term. He 
was a delegate to the Democratic .State con- 
vention which nominated Robert E. Pattison 



for governor, served on the state central coin- 
mittee in that successful campaign, and also 
has served as an auditor of the Scranton poor 
district, and for six years was the solicitor of 
Dunmore borough. 

Senator McDonald has given considerable 
attention the past few years to industrial and 
financial matters, and has been active in the 
organization of several manufacturing con- 
cerns which have proved very successful and 
in which he has large interests. One of these 
is the Imperial Underwear Company, which 
employs a large force and is taking a fore- 
most place in the industries of Scranton. 



Hon. John Weaver 

John Weaver, ex-Mayor of Philadelphia 
and lawyer, was born in England, 1862. He 
came to Philadelphia when a young man, 
and became a law stenographer. He was 
recorder of the Law Academy, of which he 
afterward became successively treasurer, 
vice-president, and president. During his 
spare time he studied law in the office of 
John Sparhawk, Jr., and was admitted to the 
'ha.T in 1882. He is a prominent and active 
member of the State Bar Association, the 
American Bar Association, of the Board of 
Censors, of the Lawyer's Club, and of the 
Governing Committee of the Law Association. 
In June, 1901, he was nominated by the Re- 
publican party for District Attorney, and was 
elected by a very large majority, polling 
nearly two thousand votes more than any 
other candidate on the Republican ticket. He 
was inducted into office as District Attorney 
in January, 1902, and continued in that posi- 
tion until his election as Mayor of the city 
in February. 1903, to which office he was 
elected by the largest majority ever given 
for a candidate for a municipal office. Upon 
completing his term, which was a politically 
stormy one, he retired to the private practice 
of his profession, which he now conducts in 
palatial offices in the Penn Square Building. 
1432 South Penn Square. In 1906 Mayor 
Weaver was advocated for the nomination 
for Governor by a large element of the Lin- 
coln party, and bad this been brought about 
the fusion with the Democrats following, he 
would undoubtedly have been elected, since 
he was what is termed the logical candidate 
and fitted the political conditions. It was 
through the conspiracies, the bickerings, and 
the jealousies of narrow and selfish men, then 
in control of the so-called reform movement, 
that Mayor Weaver's friends were defeated 
in their project. 



I'ciiiisyhviiia ami Its Public Men. 



347 



Joseph H. McLaughlin 

Assistant Director of Supplies 

joscpli H. -McLaughlin possesses a genius 
for executive detail, and the City of Philadel- 
phia has been fortunate in securing his serv- 
ices. He is of Scotch- Irish extraction direct, 
his parents crossing the seas and settling in 




Kensington. During a visit they were mak- 
ing to Bridgeton, Xew Jersey, he was born, 
April 30, 1872. They were able to provide 
him with a good education, and he went 
through the Boys' Central High .School, and 
having determined upon the law for a profes- 
sion, he enrolled as a stutlent in the Law De- 
partment of the University of Pennsylvania, 
graduating therefrom June, 1*95. Mr. Mc- 
Laughlin then entered the law offices of 
Samuel C. Perkins, whose favorite he became 
and who secured for him the position of 
Solicitor for the Commissioners of Fairmount 
Park. Mr. McF^aughlin subsequently received 
the appointment of Assistant City Solicitor 
under John L. Kinsey in 1903. Mr. Mc- 
Laughlin's work in the law department of the 
city was conceded to be very clever, and had 
he remained with it higher honors would have 
assuredly come to him. His executive ability 
was impressed, however, upon the controlling 
influences of the Republican organization, and 
in the latter part of the administration he was 
transferred and made .Assistant Director of 
Public Works of Piiiladelphia. L'pon the 



coming in of the administration of Mayor 
Reyburn in 1907 .Mr. McLaughlin was ap- 
pointed .Assistant Director of the Department 
of Supplies. Owing to the prolonged and 
numerous absences of the Director owing to 
illness. Mr. McLaughlin was for the greater 
part of the time the acting Director of this 
great department. Mr. McLaughlin early be- 
came active as a Re])ublican when living in 
the Thirtieth Ward. He espoused the course 
of the McCoach 15rothers there in their strug- 
gle to wrest the Republican leadership from 
Oliver Wilson, and which was successful. In 
1901 he moved into the Thirty-fourth Ward 
and resumed his political activity. Through 
the partitioning of the ward Mr. McLaughlin 
found himself in the new Forty- fourth Ward, 
and where he has served as a member of the 
Republican Ward Executive Committee and 
president of the division association. He is 
the possessor of a finely trained musical voice, 
and for a number of years was interested in 
church music, antl was a choirmaster for ten 
years, or until his law practice and public 
duties demanded his attention. In a public 
debate in Federal Hall on the question of the 
annexation of the Philippines, Mr. Mc- 
Laughlin spnke on the aflirmative side, which 
won, the judges being Judge .\shinan. Mayor 
.\shbridge and John Sparhawk, Esq. ^Ir. 
McLaughlin is a superior jury lawyer and 
pleader, and City Solicitor Kinsey paid him a 
compliment when he said he harl won ninety 
per cent, of his cases. He has become a spe- 
cialist on the law of negligence. He has also 
delivered patriotic addresses at flag-raisings 
and presentations, and at Fourth of July cele- 
brations. 

The Attempted Bribery of Representative 

Schrink 

When the roll was being called in the House 
for the election of the L'nited States Sena- 
tor, in 1899. the great struggle between M. S. 
Quay and John Wanamaker being then on. 
there was a little by play that was not no- 
ticed by the excited spectators, but which is 
worthy of being preserved in history. Mr. 
C.us Schrink, afterward Postmaster of Potts- 
ville, was a representative from Schuylkill. 
His seat was an end one, and Sain Losch. 
the widely-known j)olitician of Schuylkill and 
the bosom friend of Chris Magee. had planted 
a chair by the side of Schrink. It was his 
duty to deliver Schrink's vote for the Phila- 
delphia merchant. "You vote for Wana- 
maker," commanded Losch, "and if you don't 
I'll have you arrested right on this floor." 
and he meant it. Notwithstanding this club 
thus raised over his head. Schrink voted for 
Quay. Upon the completion of the roll call 



348 



Peinisxk'miia and Its Public Men. 



I.osch iK'gan to berate Schrink, and accused 
him of having taken $5000 of Wanamaker's 
money. "That's a He," interrupted Jack 
Whitchouse, of Pottsville, who had come to 
his friend's rescue. "I got the money and am 
going to send it back." However, Losch did 
not make good this threat of arrest, nor did 
he know that the money had been given by 
John Wanamaker's agent to Jack Whitehouse 
for Schrink. It was subsequently sent to 
John Wanamaker. who returned it with scorn ; 
"then to Frank Willing Leach, "the little black 
bishop," who was one of the pious politician's 
lieutenants, and he declined to take it in. 
It finally was devoted to charity. The at- 
tempt on the part of Wanamaker's agent to 
buy the vote of Representative Schrink was 
particularly bold and audacious. This was 
done by a man who was at the head of the 
Republican organization in Schuylkill. He 
learned that there was a mortgage of $3000 
on the residence of Mr. Schrink. in Potts- 
ville, and that his financial affairs were not 
prosperous. He therefore went to his house, 
and after reminding him of the mortgage, 
said he would lay five one thousand dollar 
bills on the mantle piece of the room, which 
he did. and which he said would discharge 
the mortgage and leave something besides. 
The consideration was that he should vote 
for John Wanamaker for Senator. Schrink 
and his friend. Jack Whitehouse. to whom 
he had turned over the bribe, jumped on 
a train and proceeded to Harrisburg, where 
Senator Quay was stopping with a sore foot, 
and laid the bribery story before him. Here 
was a sensation. He would have blown the 
Wanamaker candidacy out of water since the 
latter had the reputation of being a purist, but 
Quav was in the buying line hiinself. and he 
couldn't afford to let the people know the 
deviltry that was going on. 



John M. O'Brien 

Police Magistrate 

John AI. O'Brien, who for thirty years has 
been the Democratic leader of the Fifteenth 
Ward of Philadelphia, and influential in his 
party's councils, is one of those square timber 
types of men whom the world delights to 
honor. The soul of honor himself, he exacts 
it from others, and whether it be in private 
life or in politics or in the conduct of his 
office, square dealing is his motto. The date 
of his birth was August, 1843. His boyhood 
days were pas.sed in the public schools and in 
light employment, and in 1859 he entered the 
Baldwin locomotive shops as an apprentice, 
the shops then being in their infancy, and so 
constructed that thev could not be dignified 



as works as they are to-day. The war fever 
liecame strong in him, and in 1863 he en- 
Misted in the Twentieth Militia, which went to 
the defense of the State against the invasion 
of Lee's army of Northern \'irginia. He had 
the ill-luck to be made a prisoner by the Con- 
federates at Wrightsville on the Susquehanna 
River. He was released on parole and. re- 
turning to Philadelphia, went back to his job 
with the Baldwins, which had then began its 
wondrous growth, and there remained, mean- 
while becoming active in the politics of his 
ward, until he was elected a minority police 
magistrate in 1885. ^^'hen he retired from 
Baldwin's he was foreman of the sheet iron 
department, a position of much responsibility. 
Mr. O'Brien has had four re-elections as 
magistrate, and has conducted his office with 
dignity and to the satisfaction of the public. 
In the old Volunteer Fire Department days 
he was an active spirit of the Independence 
Hose Company, Xo. 39, and is now a member 
of the Volunteer Firemen's .\ssociation and 
the Veteran Firemen. In 1908 he was hand- 
somely nominated at the uniform primary 
election as the Democratic candidate for 
County Commissioner, minority representa- 
tive, but was defeated by Frank G. Gorman, 
candidate of the City Party, which party out- 
voted the Democrats, becoming the minority 
party. Magistrate O'Brien has been a dele- 
gate to innumerable State conventions of his 
party, and is widely known for his charitable 
deeds and his solicitude for those who are in 
distress. 



Hon. Howard Mutchler 

Easton 

Howard Mutchler. of Northampton, has 
been an interesting and potent figure in the 
Democratic politics of Pennsylvania and of 
the great north eastern section since the 
death of his distinguished father, the Hon. 
William Mutchler, in 1893. He fell heir, 
upon tlie latter's death, to both his seat in 
Congress and his political leadership. Mr. 
Mutchler contributed largely to bring about 
the political downfall of the Hon. William F. 
Harrity as Democratic .State leader in con- 
junction with the late James Kerr, Col. J. M. 
Guffey, David Orr and Chauncey F. Black. 
Having accomplished this at the Reading 
Convention of 1897, and obtaining control of 
the party organization, Mr. Mutchler and 
Kerr and Orr soon thereafter experienced 
the ingratitude of man. since Colonel Guffey. 
parting comi)any with them in 1898, assumed 
the sole State leadership and no longer re- 
quired their services or counsel. Mr. Mutch- 
ler had since opposed the political plans of 



Pcnnsxk'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



349 



Colonel Guffcv as he liad antagonized those 
of Mr. Ilarrity. Mr. Mutcliler is hoth a polit- 
ical leader, a ne\\s))aper publisher and a fac- 
tor in large business enterprises. He was 
l)orn in Easton. February 12, 1850. Passing 
through the public schools, he then became a 
graduate of Phillips Academy at Andover, 
^lass. He was intended for the bar and 
studied law with one of the leading attorneys 
of Xorthampton. His father having become 
the owner of the Easton Ex/^rcss and North- 
ampton Democrat, the journalistic profession 
ai)pealed the more to his inclination. He 
abandoned the law for the newspaper, and 
became the editor and publisher of those in- 
fluential publications. He early identified 
himself with the Democratic party, and upon 
the death of his father, in 1S93, he com- 
manded the political influence to succeed him 
in Congress, and at a special election, held 
July 26, 1S93, he was elected to the Fifty- 
third Congress from the Eighth District. 
Owing to the rotation rule the next Demo- 
cratic nomination went to another county in 
the district, but in igoo Mr. IVIutchler again 
received the nomination, and became a mem- 
ber of the Fifty-seventh Congress. Owing to 
the prominence of his county in its Congres- 
sional District, Mr. Mutcliler has exercised a 
potent voice in the selection of the party can- 
didates. Mr. Mutcbler has been a delegate to 
many Democratic national conventions and 
State conventions, and since 1893 has been the 
party leader of Xorthampton. He is inter- 
ested, aside from his newspapers, in financial 
institutions in Easton. and in the promotion of 
electric railways. He is a forcible speaker, 
and a gentleman of many enjoyable social 
qualities. 



John Taylor 

Allcntown Merchant 

John Taylor is one of the leading merchants 
of Allentown, having for many years success- 
fully conducted a large retail drygoods busi- 
ness in that city. He is a native of Scotland. 
He was born in Aberdenshire, June 7, 1857. 
and received his schooling at Torland. Com- 
ing to this country he settled in .Mlentown, 
and in 1892 he established his present busi- 
ness in that city. Mr. Taylor is one of the 
most popular and well-known citizens and 
business men of the Lehigh \'allcy. In the 
commercial world he is noted for his business 
probity and square dealing, such as is in- 
herent in his race. He is a member of Green- 
leaf Lodge, No. 561, F. & .A. M., and of the 
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He 
is also an ex-President of the Livingston 
Social Club of .Mlentown. 



Harry Landis Hershey 

Dauphin 

Harry Landis Hershey is descended from 
one of the three brothers who came to Lan- 
caster County from Holland in the earlv set- 
tlement of Pennsylvania. Two of them left 
Lancaster County, nnrl one nf them 5, ttlcd in 




Dauphin County, and there became the ances- 
tor of Harry Landis Her.shey. Christian 
Hershey, his grandfather, was horn in 
Dauphin County, where he engaged in farm- 
ing until his death. Henry Hershey, son of 
C'hristian, married Nancy Landis, daughter of 
Christian Landis, a distiller and farmer, who 
owned teams and carried freight in the fa- 
mous Conestoga wagons from Philadelphia to 
Pittsburg before the days of railroads. Mr. 
and Mrs. Henry Hershey became the |)arcnts 
of seven children, the youngest being Harry 
L. Hershey. now Collector of Internal Rev- 
enue. 

Harry Landis Hershey was born at Hum- 
melstown, Dauphin County, July 7, 1<S;2, and 
after being educated in the public schools and 
at the Sunnyside Seminary at Hummelstown, 
went into the grocery and general merchan- 
dising business at Hummelstown, remaining 
at that for eight months, when he went to 
i'hiladelphia and clerked for two vears in the 
wholesale flour and feed store of Rouk & 
Bachman. Before beginning that clerkship. 



350 



Pciinsxlvaiiia and Its Public Moi. 



however, Mr. Hershey was graduated from 
Crittenden's Business College in that city. 
Leaving Philadelphia, he went to Harrisburg, 
and there clerked in Bergstreser & Boyd's 
wall paper store for three years, when the 
firm failed, and Mr. Hershey bought the stock 
and entered into business for himself. This 
he continued with much success until he was 
elected Clerk of the Orphans' Court and Re- 
corder of Deeds for Dauphin County. He en- 
tered upon the duties of this office January 4, 
1S91, and after serving three years was re- 
elected. During the last year of his term he 
made application for appointment as Collector 
of Internal Revenue for that district, receiv- 
ing the appointment April 30, 1898, and en- 
tering upon the duties of his office May 30, 
1898. His district includes fifteen counties — 
Lancaster, York. Dauphin, Adams, Blair, Bed- 
ford, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, Hunting- 
don, Juniata, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry and 
Snyder. His office force consists of twelve 
clerks, and besides these, he has thirteen out- 
side deputies, thirty-three storekeepers and 
gangers, and three United States or general 
gangers. Mr. Hershey has the distinguished 
honor of being the Internal Revenue Collector 
for the largest cigar manufacturing district 
in the United States, the output for the fiscal 
year ending June 30, 1901, having been 624,- 
844,177 cigars; while the moneys for which 
Mr. Hershey had to account for that year 
amounted to the colossal sum of $3,528,250.39. 
Collector Hershey is also custodian of the 
Government building at Lancaster, Pa., and 
as such has made a great many improvements 
in it. It was during the first term of Collec- 
tor Hershey that the celebrated Jacobs-Kendig 
counterfeiting case was discovered, and it was 
largely through his efforts that it was brought 
to light. For this the Secretary of the Treas- 
ury, L. J. Gage, and Commissioner of Inter- 
nal Revenue, G. W. Wilson, highly compli- 
mented him. 



William Gorman 

Philadelphia Lawyer 

William Gorman is a senior member of the 
Philadelphia bar, whose experiences with 
clients and the courts extends back over a 
period spanned by more than the average of 
human life. He has devoted himself to civil 
operations and business law exclusively, and 
has had great experience in the management 
of the affairs of large estates. There is no 
sounder lawyer at the Philadelphia bar, is the 
judgment of those who know and realize the 
capabilities and acquirements of William 
Gorman. He possesses a genius for the en- 
ravelmcnt of intricate business problems, and 



his executive ability is of a high order. ISlr. 
Gorman is a native of Queen's County, Ire- 
land, having been born in the town of Dor- 
row, February 9, 1845. His parents emi- 
grated to .\merica while he was a tender 
child, making the voyage in one of the famous 
packet ships that sailed between the port of 
Philadelphia and Londonderry. The family 
settled in the Quaker City in 1851. Mr. Gor- 
man's schooling was limited, as the family 
necessities required him to become an income 
producer, and he was early put to work. 

He came to the bar later than the average 
lawyer. He was twenty-eight years of age 
when he was able to reach the goal of his 
ambition and take a course in the Law De- 
partment of the Pennsylvania LTniversity. He 
graduated with the degree of LL.B., and was 
admitted to practice February 22. 1876. Mr 
Gorman was the friend and intimate of the 
late Phil J. Walsh, a famous merchant, and 
for many years has been the managing execu- 
tor of his estate and director of the large 
mercantile business left by Mr. Walsh. He 
is an ardent member of the Ancient Order of 
Hibernians, and for a long time its Presi- 
dent. He has been its solicitor almost since 
his admission to the bar. He is also a mem- 
ber of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. Mr. 
Gorman maintains offices in the Stephen 
Girard Building. 



Milton W. Kerkeslager 

Milton W. Kerkeslager abandoned politics 
some years ago for a business career, and in 
which he has been eminently successful. He 
was born at Schuylkill Haven, Schuylkill 
County, Pa., April 24, 1859. When a lad of 
sixteen, and having to shift for himself, he 
moved to Philadelphia, and setding in Mana- 
yunk entered a woolen mill and learned the 
trade of a weaver, becoming an expert. He 
then was employed in the Economy Mill of Sea- 
ville, .Schofield & Co., and became a loom boss, 
which position he occupied for eleven years. 
In 188S he embarked in the gent's furnishing 
goods business in Manayunk, in the meantime 
having entered politics as an active Republican. 
This led to his nomination and election to th? 
Legislature in 1894. and he was re-elected in 
1896, leaving a good record for his two ses- 
sions. Mr. Kerkeslager, in 1894, started in the 
oil refining business in a small way with offices 
at 134 South Delaware Avenue, and in July 
19. 1905, removed to No. 136 North Delaware 
.\venue. He is now in business as M. W. 
Kerkeslager & Co., who are the owners of 
extensive refineries and conducting their own 
?ales business. 



['ciiiisyh'aiiia ami Its Public Men. 



351 



Mortimer B. Fuller 

ScraDtoD 

Mortimer B. Fuller is an excellent type 
of the yoiing; and progressive educated busi- 
ness man and is rapidly forging to the front 
in the business affairs of Scranton and New 
York. He is the son of the late Edward T. 




Fuller who was the head of the International 
Salt Company and whose sudden death occur- 
red from apoplexy in Augusta, Georgia, at the 
beginning of the year 1909. The younger 
Fuller inherited the genius of his father in 
business affairs and when he died he was 
chosen to succeed him. under whose training 
in a commercial way he had been brought up, 
as president of the International Salt Com- 
pany of Xcw York. Mr. Fuller besides is 
identified with the large industrial enterprises 
of the Connell family of Scranton. Mr. Fuller 
is a native of Scranton. which city is his home 
and where he received his primary education. 
He was then sent to the famous preparatory 
school at Lawrcnceville. Xew Jersey and then 
entered Princeton College from which in i8<>() 
he was graduated. Being intended for a busi- 
ness career he then identified himself with his 
father's enterprises. Mr. Fuller is a prime 
social favorite and is almost as equally well 
known in Xew York and Philnflclphia as he 
is in his home town. He holds membership 
in the Scranton Club, the Xcw ^'ork Club, the 



Princeton Clubs of Xew York and Philadel- 
phia and the City Midday and Railroad Club of 
.Xcw York. Mr. Fuller's father had a national 
reputation and place in the financial and rail- 
roading world. Me had begun his business 
life as a druggist in Scranton and then be- 
came interested in coal operations and at one 
time was one of the largest in<lividual opera- 
tors in the anthracite region. He also headed 
what was known as the Fuller Syndicate, which 
secured control of the Western Maryland and 
the West \'irginia Central and Pittsburg Rail- 
roads. Mortimer ]•". Fuller is also a director 
of the Dime Deposit and Discount Bank of 
Scranton. conceded to be the strongest finan- 
cial institution in Xortheastern Pennsylvania, 
and a director in the Scranton Life Insurance 
Company. He succeeded bis father as director 
and treasurer of the Lackawainia Hospital, a 
position that was filled by father and grand- 
father before him for forty years. Mr. I^iller 
also took the place of his father as president 
of the Empire Limestone Company of Buffalo, 
the Retsof Mining Company and the Avery 
Rock Salt Company. 



Quay and Hon. Charles S. Wolf Reconciled 

I was the humble instrument of effecting a 
reconciliation between Col. M. S. Quay and 
bis implacable and dashing enemy, the Hon. 
Charles S. Wolf, of Union County. 

I was talking with Colonel Quay in his 
room in the Lochiel Hotel, Harrisburg. one 
day, when the name of Charley Wolf came 
up. Quay was in a particularly amiable frame 
of mind, and expressed regrets that the two 
should continue at cross purposes. Xow, I 
bad been very close to the Cnion County free 
lance in the long and exciting struggle against 
Harry W. Oliver for United States Senator, 
and which bad resulted in the election of John 
Mitchell, and al.so in the Pittsburg Riot Rill 
scandal and his independent candidacy for 
.State Treasurer. 

I suggested to Quay that Wolf would take 
bis hand if he offered it. Finally I proposed 
that I should sec Wolf and try and bring 
about a reconciliation, and to this Quay as- 
sented. Wolf was a man of many lovable 
(lualities. but he had a pair of the blackest 
and most intense eyes I have ever seen. He 
was as full of fight when aroused as an Irish- 
man, and he held to the trail with the per- 
sistence of a Piute Indian. He readily jumped 
at the offer I made, that Quay and he should 
meet privately. I reported back to Quay, with 
the result that that gentleman put on his hat 
and walked to the Commonwealth Hotel, 
where be was soon closeted with his late 



,V1_' 



Pcmisxlfania and Its Public Men. 



enemy. Wolf never gave the Quay machine 
any further trouhle, and when he cHeil was 
the holder of an inferior portfolio in the 
State's service, which was given to him by 
Quay. 

In 1882, the year of the revolt against 
General Beaver for governor and the first 
election of Robert E. Patterson, I prevented 
the nomination of Charles S. Wolf for gov- 
ernor by the Independent Republican State 
convention that met in Horticultural Hall. 
The two names most prominent for the gov- 
ernorship were those of John Stewart and 
Mr. Wolf. The convention took a recess to 
allow a small and select committee, which 
included E. Dunbar Lockwood, Philip C. 
Garrett, and George D. McCreary, of Phila- 
delphia, among others, to weigh the question 
as between the two candidates and to make a 
report to the controlling factors of the con- 
vention. 

This committee, knowing of my intimate 
connection with the political struggles that 
had taken place in Harrisburg, asked me for 
my estimate and judgment of the two men. 
I unhesitatingly declared in favor of. the 
sedate and brainy Stewart in preference to 
the fiery and rather superficial Wolf. 

The committee then closed the matter up 
and recommended the selection of John Stew- 
art, of Franklin, 



Hugh C. Dougherty 

It ordinarily takes a magician to change the 
a.spect of things, and while the subject of 
this sketch cannot well claim to that particu- 
lar title, yet he has been successful in chang- 
ing the servant-girl problem, and in this par- 
ticular he has been pre-eminently successful, 
and justly lays claim to the title, being per- 
haps the only authorized and licensed employ- 
ment agency in Philadelphia. 

Mr. Dougherty's employment bureau occu- 
pies the entire building at 1205 Filbert Street, 
arid is constantly thronged with all kinds and 
classes of servants seeking employment in 
every capacity. 

It was in 1893 when Mr. Dougherty first 
established this business upon a very small 
scale, but recognizing at the time how difficult 
it was to procure competent help, he there- 
upon, acting in an individual capacity, pro- 
ceeded to solve the problem. He is known to 
every hotel man in the city and State. It may 
well be said that at the inception of the busi- 
ness he started in one rooiri, and as we have 
already stated, his business reached such 
gigantic proportions that he is now compelled 
to occupy the entire building at the Filbert 
Street address. 



In his line of business Mr. Dougherty has 
become a keen judge of human nature, and it 
is rarely that his judgment of the character of 
the applicant is faulty. Perhaps it would be 
as well to add that he numbers among his 
clients the largest hotels, hospitals, and pri- 
vate institutions in the city and State, and it 
would be no exaggeration to say that a great 
number depend absolutely upon Mr. Dough- 
erty to supply them with their necessary help. 
In addition to the help question, INIr. Dough- 
erty deals extensively in the sale and purchase 
of hotels, and his wide experience has inade 
him a keen judge of the value of hotel prop- 
erties. 

He is a prominent and active member of the 
Knights of Columbus and of the Hotel Men's 
Association, and -he is generally esteemed by 
all with whom he comes into contact. 



Hon. William C. Miller 

Bedford 

Dr. William C. Miller is a man who is so 
well and favorably known in central Pennsyl- 
vania that he hardly needs an introduction in 
these pages, but having regard to the fact that 
we have to portray the men of renown, we 
have the necessity to say something about the 
gentleman before referred to. Dr. Miller rep- 
resents the Thirty-sixth District, comprising 
Somerset, Bedford and Fulton Counties. He 
was born on January 3, 1868, at Neosho, New- 
ton County, Missouri, and when an infant was 
taken by his parents to Arizona territory, 
where his father assumed the agency of the 
Navajo Indians. In 1872 his father was 
killed by the Ute Indians during an outbreak, 
and his mother returned with the son to 
Schellsburg, Bedford County. Pennsylvania. 
Dr. Miller received his elementary education 
in the public schools of that town and Wood- 
bury, and later entered Lafayette College, and 
subsetpiently studied medicine. Subsequently 
thereto he entered the University of Virginia, 
and was transferred to the University Medical 
College of New York City, from which institu- 
tion he was graduated March 3. 1888, and be- 
gan the practice of his profession in Bedford 
County. He first located in Chaneysville, go- 
ing to Hyndman, where he resided until 1902. 
He was for some years surgeon to the Balti- 
more and Ohio Railroad of that city, and in 
1898 was elected a member of the House of 
Representatives. He was a member of the 
Board of United States Pension Examiners, 
which position he resigned when chosen to the 
Legislature. At his first election he received 
the majority of about 800 votes, while his 
party colleague on the ticket was defeated by 
a small majority. In 1902 he was nominated 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



353 



by the Republican party as its candidate for 
Senator in the Thirty-sixth District, and was 
elected by a large majority, and this after his 
opponents had tried several schemes to defeat 
him. He is a member of the Bedford County 
Medical Society, the Pennsylvania Medical So- 
ciety and the Tri-State Society, the Baltimore 
and Ohio Association of Railway Surgeons, 
and the National Association Railway Sur- 
geons, and is a prominent and influential mem- 
ber of several fraternal organizations. Ik- 
was re-elected from Bedford-Somerset district 
in 1006, his opponent being (ieneral \\ illiam 
Kuntz, the leader of the Somerset bar and an 
old member of the Legislature, and formerly a 
member of Congress. This contest attracted 
the attention of the State. Senator Miller was 
victorious by a small majority. Dr. Miller has 
enjoyed a very large practice in his county, and 
for many years had the patronage of the cele- 
brated Bedford Springs Hotel and its thou- 
sands of guests. 



Griffith T. Davis 

Scranton 

Griffith T. Davis is another well-known 
Scrantonian who was graduated from the coal 
mines and through industry and perseverance 
and fidelity to the interests of his employers 
has succeeded in carving out a career for him- 
self and of which his friends are justly proud. 
He was born in Lackawanna County in March 
of 1861 of Welsh extraction, his parents being 
James J. and Hannah L. Davis. As soon as 
he became able to work he was sent into the 
mines, his opportunities for schooling being 
limited, and where he remained until he was 
eighteen. His brightness and ability attracted 
the attention of his employers. Brooks & 
Dale, and he was given a clerical position in 
the business office of the mine and later be- 
came the superintendent for the firm in which 
position he remained for twenty years. He 
had previously taken a course in a well- 
known Commercial School of Scranton. Since 
he was twenty-one ^Ir. Davis has been an 
active spirit in local politics as a Republican 
and some years ago was appointed in the 
United States Revenue Service and now holds 
the position of United .States Internal 
Revenue Collector for the district embracing 
the counties in North Eastern Pennsylvania. 
Mr. Davis is one of the Republican leaders 
of Lackawanna County and has been a dele- 
gate to a number of Republican State Con- 
ventions. He is a inember of the Bicycle 
Club of Scranton and of the Pennsylvania 
Republican Club of Washington. D. C. 
23 



William J. Faux 

President 1 he L^ogan Coal Company 

Mr. Faux has been in the coal business since 
ifgo. fir.-il as a solicitor for several well-known 
companies, until he secured the control of an 
operation at Dunlo. Pa., known as the Logan 
.Mines, from which the present well-known 




Logan Coal Company had its inception. .Mr. 
l-'au.x is the President and controlling force of 
this com])any. and the success which has at- 
tended his efforts is attested by the fact that 
the coal is to-day sold in every State and 
Territory in the Union — even including the far 
northwestern .Alaska. Beginning with an out- 
put of fifty tons per ilay. the present capacitv 
of the mines exceeds several thousand. The 
company is represented by general offices in 
Philadelphia. New York. Boston and Chicago, 
with sub-ofikes or selling agencies at numerous 
centers. Mr. Faux early in life engaged in 
the iron business in connection with his father 
at Danville. Pa. He was a candidate for the 
Legislature in 1907 from the Fortieth and 
Forty-sixth Wards on the Reform ticket. He 
is a member of the Free and .Accepted Masons, 
having taken the thirty-second degree, and is 
prominent in all movements toward good and 
clean government. Both he and his companv 
are. in all respects, wortbv of narticular men- 
tion in "Pemisvlvania and its Public Men." 



354 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



Hubert J. Horan 

Commercial Exchange, Philadelphia 

There is no man better known in the grain 
trade of Philadelphia than Hubert Horan, 
who has been an active and conspicuous figure 
on the gay floor of the Commercial Exchange 
for many years. A native Philadelphian, he 




has always taken a keen interest in the city's 
affairs, and has filled one of her important 
elective legislative offices. Mr. Horan grew 
up in the Fifteenth Ward, and until his re- 
moval to the Xinth Ward took only a cursory 
interest in political affairs. He acquired his 
new residence about 1898, and immediately 
became active in the affairs of the Republican 
party. He became a member of the Repub- 
lican Ward Committee, and was subsequently 
elected a member of Select Council, .\fter 
one of the sharpest and most exciting political 
contests ever witnessed in a ward, Mr. Horan 
was defeated for re-election by R. R. Bring- 
hurst by 17 votes. When the latter became 
City Treasurer in 1907. Mr. Horan was 
elected to succeed him, but subsequently re- 
signed the office. Mr. Horan was also a mem- 
ber of the Republican City Committee, and 
the recognized Republican leader of the Ninth 
Ward for a period. He is noted for his so- 
ciability and hospitality, and is an active 
member of the Philopatrians. 



Joseph H. Brown 

Holmesburg 

Joseph H. Brown was, for a number of 
years, a familiar and influential figure in the 
City Counci.s of Philadelphia. Representing 
suburban wards which stood in need of pub- 
lic improvements and particularly as to open- 
ing of new streets and country roads, he was 
particularly active and successful, and was 
therefore a useful and popular councilman. 
He was sent to Common Council from the old 
Twenty-third Ward in 1882, and remained 
there for some years. The ward was divided 
and Mr. Brown found himself a resident of 
the new Thirty-fifth Ward. He resumed his 
activities as a Republican in the new ward, 
and in 1900, when Gen. Edward de V. Mor- 
rell was elected to the Fifty-seventh Congress. 
Mr. Brown was chosen to succeed him as a 
member of Select Council. He thus served 
for several years, being a member of the most 
important committees, and secured for the 
new ward many essential improvements. In 
area this is the largest ward in the city. Mr. 
Brown was the real practical Republican or- 
ganization leader of the ward, while the late 
Hon. George A. Castor filled that role, and 
was successful in all his campaigns. Mr. 
Brown is a native of Philadelphia, having been 
born there January 26, 1S48, the surnames of 
bis parents being Joseph and Sarah A. He 
has devoted his life to finance and real estate 
and particularly to the development of the 
suburban properties in the Twenty-third and 
Thirty-fifth Wards, where he is a large holder 
of realty. Mr. Brown has been an extensive 
traveler in his own country. He is a member 
of the Union League, a Past Master of Jerusa- 
lem Lodge, F. & A. M. ; Past High Priest of 
Saloam Chapter, and Representative of the 
( irand Lodge of Jerusalem Lodge. He is 
much noted for bis rare social qualities. 



Quay Burns the Record of the Pennypackc r 
Campaign 

Dr. .Silas Swallow, the prohibition and 
political parson, made the allegation that the 
old State House at Harrisburg was purposely 
fired in order to destroy incriminating records 
of the State Treasury and other departments 
which were stored in its loft. He even went 
so far as to insinuate that Senator Quay had 
connived at it. I was the first one in the 
building to suspect that it was on fire. I 
smelled the burning wood. My experience as 
a reporter in a great city assisted me to this 
conclusion. I was in the senate chamber at 
the time, and the fire started in the northwest 
corner. I called the attention of Senator 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



.tn.") 



(irady to it, but he laughed at uiy fears. The 
smell of burning wood became more percep- 
tible, and finally the Senators paid attention 
to apprehensions, and an investigation was 
made. A few moments later the fire an- 
nounced itself, leading to tlie complete de- 
struction of the famous building. 

If Quay was guiltless of conniving at the 
setting on fire of the State House so that 
public records could be destroyed, he was 
not above instigating the destruction by fire 
of political records at least. Two days after 
the election of Samuel W. Pennypacker in 
1902, the Senator, who had acted as chair- 
man of the State Committee and had con- 
ducted the successful campaign, directed his 
private secretary, Billy Wright, to perform a 
peculiar task. 

"I want you to go to the State headquar- 
ters and lock yourself in, and burn ever\' scrap 
of paper that relates to the campaign. Burn 
every letter and memorandum tliat Andrews 
has put on file, and make a complete job of 
it." 

The headquarters occupied the entire dwell- 
ing-house at 1417 Locust Street. 

Mr. Wright carried out his instructions 
literally. From the furnaces in the cellar tons 
of papers, confidential letters, check stubs, 
cancelled checks, letter-press copies, '"went 
up in smoke." Several times the neighbors 
thought the house was on fire. 

The secretary of the committee. W. R. .An- 
drew-s, stormed because he couldn't get into 
the headquarters, and the next day when he 
discovered that his records and papers were 
missing, he went to Quay, and with blanched 
face informed him that some one had ob- 
tained entrance and had stolen all the com- 
mittee's records of the campaign. Quay 
laughed at him and replied, "Why, I ordered 
Billy Wright to burn them." 



Thomas W. MacFarland 

Thomas W. MacFarland, member of Select 
Council of Philadelphia from the Forty- 
fourth Ward, is a fine specimen of the hust- 
ling young American business man and po- 
litical leader. He comes of Scotch ancestry, 
and possesses the inherent traits of that vig- 
orous race. He was born in Philadelphia 
July 4, 1873, and after receiving a public 
school education, took a course in Bank's 
Business College, fitting himself for a com- 
mercial life. In his younger days he was 
noted as an athlete and had a reputation as a 
sprinter and in which he had a record. His 
first employment was with the prominent real 
estate firm of Benjamin Teller & Company, 
with whom he remained for some years, and 
then went with Arnold. Louchheim & Com- 



pany, and arose to be the manager of the 
credit department of their great business for 
several years. He is now engaged with the 
Keystone Telephone Company in a respon- 
sible business. He early identified himself 
with the Republican party, and when the 
Forty-fourth Ward was created from the 
Thirty-fourth, his activity and prominence in 
the party led to his unanimous selection as the 
Republican organization leader. In March, 
1906, he was elected as the representative to 
the City Campaign Committee, displacing 
William C. Turner. His handling of the 
ward in the great Rotan-Gibboney contest for 
District Attorney in 1906, proved his worth 
as a party manager, and established his repu- 
tation with the city leaders. In 1907 Mr. 
MacFarland was induce<l, much against his 
own inclination, to become a candidate for 
Select Council. He made a clean sweep at 
the primary, and was elected by a splendid 
majority. His term will expire in 1910. Mr. 
MacFarland, in the subsequent factional dis- 
turbances that unfortunately disturbed the 
harmony of the ward, demonstrated his ability 
of taking care of the political interests of 
the people who desired clean and manly gov- 
ernment, and all through the period of thug 
violence that prevailed conducted himself in a 
manner to win the applause of the people. 
He was Chairman of the Ward Republican 
Committee in 1906; was President of the 
Union Republican Club; is a member of the 
Elks; of University Lodge, F. & .\. M., and 
of the Masonic Chapter, Consistory. Com- 
mandery. Lu Lu Temple, and is a Shriner. 
He is Vice-President of the \\'est Phi'adel- 
phia Homeopathic Hospital and Dispensary. 
Director of the Hestinville Building and 
Loan .Association, and is identified with other 
business interests. 



Graft in School-house Naming 

Political graft in Philadelphia takes many 
forms, and the outstretched hand and hungry- 
fingers are always there. One of the most 
unique instances of graft was furnished by 
a sectional schoolboard which had the au- 
thority to give to a new public schoolhouse a 
name. The children of a man who had been 
conspicuous as a soldier of the Rebellion, and 
afterward amassed a fortune in the newspaper 
business, were anxious that his name sliould 
be perpetuated, and requested that the school 
be named after him. The board, however, 
thought the honor worth money, and made the 
proposition to the estate that the school should 
be so named for the sum of $500. This was 
finally agreed to, the money handed over and 
divided among the school directors. The 
Board of Education now names the school- 
houses. 



356 



Pcinisxl-i'ania and Its Public Men. 




George Porter 

Inventor and Metallurgist 



On this page we present a reproduction 
from an original photograpl: of George Por- 
ter, a young man wlio is fast forging ahead 
to the front ranks in line with some of our 
leading scientific men of this State in the 
metal and steel industries. Mr. Porter, like 
many others of our sturdy husiness men of 
this country, was raised on a farm, and spent 
his boyhood days in agricultural pursuits. 
Tiring of country life at quite an early age, 
he entered into the studies of metallurgy and 
also the business of galvanizing and coating 
metallic articles. Mechanical science in the 
galvanizing business at this time was very 
much behind the times in comparison with the 
rapid strides other trades had taken in the 
way of reducing the cost of production. 

In the Iron Age of August i8, 1904, also 
the Metal Worker of September 10, 1904, a 
description was given of a machine invented 
by Mr, Porter for galvanizing small arUcles, 
such as nails, screws, washers, etc. 

In the intervening years Mr. Porter has 
been extending his activities still further in 
the same direction, and has invented a line 
of machinery which will revolutionize the cost 
of producing a large number of articles. The 
following is the cost of galvanizing by one of 
the largest steel companies in this country : 



3d wire nails, per 100 pounds, $1.52; the cost 
of producing same under Mr. Porter's inven- 
tions is 42'jiii cents. 

Mr. Porter is also the inventor of quite a 
large number of other patents, one of which 
is an automatic weighing scale which a large 
number of scale experts have pronounced to 
be one of the greatest achievements in me- 
chanical science of the twentieth century in 
this line. 

Mr. Porter is also the inventor of a line of 
automatic machinery for galvanizing cross- 
arm-braces, which will mean a revolution in 
the cost of producing these articles. Mr. 
Porter has organized the Porter Metal Manu- 
facturing Co.. with offices at 707 Perry Build- 
ing. Philadelphia, for the purpose of manufac- 
turing a large line of articles under these 
valuable patents. 

The investor is invariably looking for a 
chance to double his money, and having re- 
gard to the very prominent moneyed men, the 
editor feels that he should, when occasion so 
demands, give advise as to what he considers 
gilt-edge investments, and therefore would 
recommend particular attention to the pro- 
spectus which is issued by the Porter Metal 
Manufacturing Co., a copy of which will be 
gladly sent on ap()lication for same. 



Pcniisykviiia and Its I'liblic Men. 



357 



John M. Campbell 

Lawyer and Publicist 

John M. Campbell is probably the b.st- 
known of all living Philadclphians. In its 
public affairs, at its bar anti in its social life 
he has been an active spirit, and his popular- 
ity is as wide as is his acquaintanceship. His 




father. Judge James Campbell, was an illus- 
trious man, having been a Judge of the Com- 
mon Pleas of Philadelphia, afterwards was 
Attorney-General of Pennsylvania in 1852 un- 
der Governor Francis W. Hughes, and in 1833 
resigned the portfolio in company with the 
Governor, the latter incident being the only 
similar one in the history of the State. Un- 
der President Pierce Judge Campbell sat in 
the cabinet as Postmaster-General. He was 
defeated as a candidate for Justice of the 
Supreme Court under circumstances explained 
in another article in this work. John M. 
Campbell was born at gii Pine Street, Phila- 
delphia. May 30, 1857. He was graduated 
from the University of Pennsylvania as a 
P.achelor of .Arts in 1870. and being intended 
for the law, studied under the direction of his 
distinguished father and was admitted to prac- 
tice when twenty-two years okl. He has pur- 
sued his profession assiduously since, his 
practice being entirely in the Orphans' Court 
and his offices are at 215 South Fifth Street, 
which were occupied for many years by his 
father. Mr. Campbell early began to take a 



deep interest in |)ul)lic educational matters, and 
in 1875 he was a])])ointed a member of the 
Board of Public Education as a Democrat, 
succeeding the late Lewis C. Cassidy. He 
continued in the board, one of its most useful 
members, when he resigned to accept mem- 
bership in the Board of City Trust which ad- 
ministers the great trust left to I'hiladelphia 
by Stephen Girard for the maintenance of 
(iirard College and the Delaware River front. 
Mr. Campbell was from the first an ardent 
admirer of (irover Cleveland, who, as Presi- 
dent, appointed him Surveyor of the I'ort of 
Philadelphia during his first administration. 
Upon his re-election President Cleveland per- 
sonally sent for Mr. Campbell and tendered 
him the position of .\ssistant Secretary of the 
Treasury under John J. Carlisle, but his ex- 
tensive practice and his unwillingness to exile 
himself from his native city letl him to de- 
cline. In clubdom Mr. Cam])bell is a buoyant 
s])irit. He is a member of the celebrated 
Clover Club, the Philadelphia Yacht Club, the 
.•\rt. the Lawyers', the Catholic and the Uni- 
versity Clubs. When president of the 
I'^iendly Sons of St. Patrick he inaugurated 
the movement for a statue to Commodore 
Barry, which now adorns Fairmount Park. 
He has been a manager of St. Joseph's Or- 
phans' Asylimi. the oldest Catholic institution 
of its kind in the United States, for forty-six 
years. He is also vice-president and solicitor 
of the Mechanics' Insurance Co., director in 
the Continental Trust Co. and counsel for the 
French Benevolent Society. Mr. Campbell 
has frequently been importuned by Demo- 
cratic leaders to be a cantlidate for elective 
office, but has sturdilv refused. 



How the Wanamaker-Quay Feud Began 

The bitter antl costly feud that agitated 
the State the latter part of the "nineties" be- 
tween Senator Quay and John W'anamaker 
had its origin over the selection of a post- 
master for Philadelphia. John Wanamaker 
was Postmaster-General under President Har- 
rison, and when the term of the Hon. William 
F. Harrity as Postmaster of Philadelphia ex- 
pired, the information reached Senator Quay 
that it was Mr. W'anamaker's intention to 
name John Field, an opulent merchant, who 
had been identified with the Reform Connnit- 
tee of One Hundred. 

The Senator visited the Postmaster-General 
to inquire about this report, when the latter 
informed him that as he was at the head of 
the department, he considered it his right that 
he should appoint the postmaster of his own 
town. 

Colonel Quay took the ground that he rep- 



358 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



resented his colleague, Mr. Cameron, in the 
matter, and that the Pennsylvania Senators 
should be consulted in the choice of the man. 
General Wanamaker then stated that he had 
made his choice, who was John Field. 

Senator Quay replied that Mr. Field was 
not acceptab'e to either him or Senator Cam- 
eron. Finding that he could not change his 
views. Senator Quay left with this declara- 
tion : — 

"Mr. Wanamaker, I shall never darken 
your door again." 

When Senator Cameron decided upon re- 
tirement, John Wanamaker, who had got a 
taste of public life and who liked its excite- 
ments and responsibilities, determined to be- 
come a candidate for the succession. I^earn- 
ing that Senator Quay was at the Hotel Wal- 
ton upon an occasion, Mr. Wanamaker com- 
missioned a friend, said to have been John 
W. Frazier, of Phi'adelphia, to visit him and 
"feel" him on the subject. The commissioner 
made his argument on behalf of the merchant 
prince, while Senator Quay sat in charac- 
teristic silence. At its conclusion he made 
this reply, which was fated to be "a declara- 
tion of war" between the two giants : — 

"You go back to Mr. Wanamaker and say 
this to him, and only this as coming from me: 
'John Field.' " 

Mr. Frazier delivered the answer, which 
was immediately followed by Mr. Wanamak- 
er's announcement that he was a candidate 
for United States Senator. Then followed 
the costliest and one of the most desperate 
and corrupt factional po'itical contests that 
the State has ever witnessed, ending with the 
defeat of Mr. Wanamaker and the election 
of the Hon. Boies Penrose. Its aftermath 
was the terrific struggle to dethrone Quay as 
Senator, and did result in the deadlock in the 
Legislature of 1899. It is estimated that the 
most of this fued on b"th side totalled at 
least a million and a half dollars. 



David Howard Conrade 

Philadelphia 

David Howard Conrade is one of the best 
known members of the junior bar of Phila- 
delphia. On his paternal side he is Welsh, 
and on the maternal English and Irish. His 
father, Joseph E., was engaged in the real 
estate business, and fought in the War of the 
Rebellion as a private in the 183d Pennsylva- 
nia Volunteers, Company G. 

David H. Conrade was born in the Fourth 
Ward, Philadelphia, February 6, 186S, and 
was primarily educated in the public schools. 
He then i^dk a course in the Law Depart- 
ment of the LTniversity of Pennsylvania, and 



graduated before he was twenty-one. He 
was compelled to wait nearly a year before 
he was eligible for admission to the bar. He 
had read law two years in the offices of 
George McGowan before entering the uni- 
versity. He was admitted to the bar in 1889 
on motion of the Hon. George McGowan, his 
old preceptor. Mr. Conrade was then a resi- 
dent of the Second Ward, and upon arriving 
at voting age he identified himself with the 
Democratic party, which then dominated the 
politics of the Ward. Because of his activity 
and capabilities he was nominated, in 1894, 
for the Legislature and elected, and was re- 
turned to the session of 1897. He was ex- 
tremely active as a legislator, and one of the 
floor leaders of his party. At the session of 
1895 he introduced a bill legalizing primary 
elections, which was in advance of the simi'ar 
bill fathered by John H. Landis, of Lancaster, 
and which became a law. By many it was 
considered a far better system than that pro- 
vided by the Landis Act. It was opposed by 
Frank M. Riter, who was a member of the 
House, and who subsequently became Director 
of Public Safety of Philadelphia. He intro- 
duced a bill regulating road juries and in- 
tended to remedy abuses under them. The 
purpose was to compel them to file their re- 
ports within a specified time and to prevent 
them from being appointed without notice to 
property owners and continuing their sittings 
without notice to the court. This was passed 
and signed by the Governor, but was dec'ared 
unconstitutional as it applied to Philadelphia 
alone. He also was the author of a bi'l in- 
troducing the French system of pawn brok- 
erage in Pennsylvania. It was vetoed by 
Governor Hastings, a large fund having been 
raised for the purpose. The measure per- 
mitted a corporation to loan small sums of 
money to small householders on pledges of 
security of household effects. It was vetoed 
on the ground that it was an interference with 
the banking laws of the State. The bill was 
drawn by George S. Graham. Mr. Conrade 
declined nominati'^ns in the Second Ward 
both for City Counci's and School Director. 

In T904 Mr. Conrade removed to the 
Twenty-seventh Ward, now the Forty-sixth 
Ward, and became active in politics as a Re- 
publican. He is a member of the Repub'ican 
Ward E.xecutive Committee. He is a mem- 
lier of the Board of Governors of the Forty- 
sixth Ward Republican Club. He is the spe- 
cial counsel in Philadelphia for the Auditor 
(leneral's Department. He is engaged in both 
civil and criminal practice, and has offices 
907-TO Franklin Building. He is a member 
of Mt. Moriah Lodge, No. 155, F. & A. M.; 
is a Past Ranger of the Order of Foresters, 
Court Delaney, 321 ; is on the Advisory Com- 



Peimsvhania and Its Public Men. 



359 



niittce of the State Organization of Forest- 
ers; also a member of Washington Camp, 
395, P. S. of A.; also Hamilton Council, 
American Mechanics; also of Harmony As- 
scmb.y, No. 45, Artisans Order Mutual Por- 
tection. and Keystone Conimandery, No. 5. 
Mr. Conradc represents many Italian bcnc- 
cial societies. 



re-elected. Mr. Mcllcnry is the owner of a 
model farm, and the publisher of a daily news- 
paper in Bloomsburg. 



Hon. John G. McHenry 

Columbia 

John G. McHenry, member of Congress 
from the Sixteenth District of Pennsylvania, 
is a man of extraordinar)' business capacity, 
an originator and pioneer of new business 
lines, and enjoys the distinction, through his 
personal popularity, of having redeemed his 
Congress district for the Democrats after it 
had been in possession of the Republicans for 
several years. He also has the distinction of 
being the youngest member of the Pennsyl- 
vania delegation. He was born in Rcnton 
Township, Columbia County, .\pril 26, 1868. 
He spent his years, up to the nineteenth, upon 
the farm on which he was born, attending the 
district school and the Orangcville .Vcadcmy 
in the meantime. He then became an assistant 
in a local lumber and distillery business, and 
remained with it until 1901. when the distil- 
lery was incorporated separately and he be- 
came its active head. Under his direction it 
has had a marvelous growth, and its product 
now pays in revenue taxes half a million dol- 
lars per annum, one of the largest in the 
State. Mr. McHenry is an ardent believer in 
community business association and planned a 
co-operative department store in the town of 
Henton. Within three weeks he organized it 
with 400 farmers and residents, and a capital 
of S40.000. He next organized a national 
bank in Renton, and, although the youngest 
stockholder, he was elected its president. 
This success led him to suggest to the State 
Grange the idea of the farmers of the Com- 
monweaUh. establi.shing their own banks, with 
the view of aiding them in monetary stringen- 
cies and freeing themselves from the money 
power. His scheme was to thus establish a 
chain of such banks. He was authorized by 
the State Grange to organize such a system, 
which he has practically carried out, and there 
are already a dozen of them in successful op- 
eration, and eventually they are destined to 
spread throughout the United States. Mr. 
NfcHenry was born a Democrat, and at thirty 
was chairman of the Columbia County Demo- 
cratic Committee and afterwards a division 
chairman of the State Committee. In 1906 he 
received the nomination for Congress, and 
was elected by 2576 majority. In 1908 he was 



How Chris. Magee Made Good 

I lost my job as the legislative correspond- 
ent of the 1^ ittsburgh Leader, which 1 held 
for several years, through doing the late 
Christopher 1.. Magee an apparently small 
favor. 

The Leader was a "thorn in the side" of 
Chris. 2^1agee in the politics of Pittsburg and 
-Mlcgheny County. My iron-clad instructions 
were to "roast' everything in which he had 
a hand, at Harrisburg. Magee knew this, 
but he and I always maintained a genuine 
friendship nevertheless. One day he came 
to me and said: "Sam, I am going to put 
through the Senate to-day a little bill which 
is of no earthly interest to Pittsburg, and 1 
wish you would say nothing about it in the 
Leader." He told me what the bill was, and, 
reading it, I saw nothing in it, as he said. 

The session then was about half over. A 
few days thereafter I received a telegram 
from the Leader, informing me that I would 
be relieved by a man from the home office 
who was better acquainted with .Allegheny 
affairs than myself. 

I subsequently learned that the "man in the 
home office" had been aspiring to my job. 
and learning of my suppression of the Magee 
bill, had used it to undermine me. 

The evening of the day my successor ar- 
rived I w-as invited to join Magee at a table 
in the bar-room of the Commonwealth Hotel, 
where he was regaling some friends with 
champagne which, however, he never drank 
himself, when he said: "I see, Sam. you 
have lost your job on the Leader. I know 
all about it," and I noticed that he took out 
a little note book and made a "mem." 

The day the legislature closed Chris, came 
to me and said: "I will be at the Continental 
Hotel in Philadelphia next Monday. I want 
to see you there." 

.'\t the appointed day I met him at the hotel 
and we went together to his room. He said : 
"Sam, you lost your job on the Leader on 
such and such a date. Now, a fair (|uestion: 
What were they paying you?" 

"Eighty dollars per month." I replied. 

"Well, it was a dirty trick they played on 
you. but it isn't going to cost you anything," 
said he, reaching for a wad in his pocket. 
He then counted out the money that would 
have been due me bad I served the Leader 
to the end of the session, and added two one 



360 



Pciiiisxlz'ania and Its Public Men. 



hundred dollar bills "for consolation," as he 
termed it. 

This story wi'.l serve to give a glimpse into 
the character of one of the most lovable and 
squarest characters who ever figured in tlie 
politics of Pennsylvania. 



Capt. David McCoach 

Philadelphia Lawyer 




David McCoach, one of the rising members 
of the junior bar, is connected with the well- 
known political family of that name in South 
Philadelphia. His career has been unique in 
that he has abandoned the army for the pro- 
fession of the law. Captain ^McCoach was 
born in Philadelphia. July 2, 1877. His father 
is William McCoach, political leader and Col- 
lector of Internal Revenue, and his uncle, 
David, has been a Police Captain of the city 
for many years. He was primarily educated 
in the public schools, and in iSqi was ap- 
pointed a cadet at the West Point Military 
Academy, graduating in the class of '95. He 
subsequently entered the Law Department of 
the University of Pennsylvania, graduating 
in i8g8 with the degree of LL.B. Upon the 
outbreak of the Spanish American War he 
became attached to the First Regiment In- 
fantry, U. S. Regulars, and was subsequently 
assigned to the Fifth Infantrv, then to the 



Seventh Artillery, and then to the Artillery 
Corps. He was breveted Second Lieutenant 
in the First Regiment, Lieutenant in the Sev- 
enth Artillery, and Captain in the Artillery 
Corps. Captain ^McCoach saw hard service 
in the war and enjoyed the distinction of 
being the youngest man in the military service 
of the Government who has attained the rank 
of Captain by promotion, his age at that time 
being but twenty-five. He resigned from the 
service in 1903 to enter upon the practice of 
the law, associating with the Hon. Maxwell 
Stevenson, remaining with that distinguished 
jurist and practitioner for two years. In 
1905 Captain McCoach opened his own offices 
at 1529 Land Title Building, and engaged in 
general practice, being a member of the 
County and Appellate Courts of Pennsylvania, 
the Federal and Supreme Courts of the 
L^nited States. He is a master of Covenant 
Lodge, F. & A. M. ; Armory Chapter, No. 52; 
Mary Commandery, No. 36. Captain Mc- 
Coach is identified as counsel in a number of 
road jury cases and has charge of the settle- 
ment of the South Broad Street Boulevard 
case, which has been in litigation for five 
years. 



Hon. Edwin K. McConkey 

York 

Edwin K. McConkey is one of the con- 
spicuous business men and representative Re- 
publicans of York. The McConkeys have 
Ijeen men of affairs in that county for genera- 
tions, the founders of the family having set- 
tled there when the population was meager 
more than a century and a half ago. Senator 
McConkey was born in Wrightsville, on the 
Susquehanna River, which is famous for its 
narrow escape from being selected as the 
Capitol of the LTnited States, December 11, 
1864. He comes from Scotch-Irish Revolu- 
tionary stock. After exhausting the assets of 
the public school of his home he attended the 
Collegiate Institute of York. Later he be- 
came associated in business with the McCon- 
key Brothers at Wrightsville, showing fine 
business qualifications. In 1886 he entered 
the Pullman car service, and by rapid promo- 
tion soon became assistant superintendent of 
the Philadelphia district, embracing the Penn- 
sylvania Railroad system out of Broad Street 
Station. The old home spirit, in 1893, '"" 
fluenced him to return to York County. He 
was in that year chosen assistant secretary of 
the Farmer's Fire Insurance Company, which 
is one of the best-known corporations in York 
County. In 1900 he became its secretary and 
treasurer. Senator McConkey 's influence in 
the business affairs of the Citv of York then 



Pcniisxlzvuia and Its I'liblic Men. 



361 



began to extend, anil he went into the direc- 
tor's boards of the York National Bank and 
of the York Water Company, and became 
identified with industrial enterprises. In 
1902 he received the Republican nomination 
lor State Senator for the Twenty-eighth Dis- 
trict (York County), and after an animated 
campaign was elected by 700 majority, and 
took his scat in the Senate of 1903 with the 
distinction of being the first Republican who 
ever represented that old Democratic county 
in that illustrious body. He became one of 
the most popular members of the Senate, and 
was appointed on its part as a member of the 
Joint Committee, having charge of the inaug- 
ural ceremonies of Governor Pennypacker. 
Senator McConkey declined a renomination 
in order to devote his entire attention to his 
growing business interests. He is an ex- 
president of the Lafayette Club, the leading 
social organization of York, and belongs to 
the Masonic fraternity. He is an enthusiastic 
farmer, and takes great pride in the owner- 
ship of one of the finest farms in his county. 
He is also extensively interested in orange 
and grape-fruit growing in Florida, where he 
has a large acreage. 



Peter Albert Dutrieville 

Prominent Caterer 

Peter .Albert Dutrieville was born in Phila- 
delphia in 1838, and received his education in 
the public schools of his native city. When 
but a lad he entered into the catering busi- 
ness, believing in the old adage that the way 
to reach a man's good will is through his 
stomach, and he has been eminently success- 
ful in his chosen field. 

He thoroughly mastered the intricacies of 
his profession with the firm of 'M. F. Augus- 
tine & Son. Philadelphia's foremost caterers 
of years ago and with whom he remained for 
upwards of eighteen years. In 1873 he started 
in business for himself at Xo. 40 S. 19th 
street, where he is still located. Mr. Dutrie- 
ville makes a specialty of catering to balls, 
parties, weddings and receptions, and fur- 
nishes table furniture, glass, linen, silver and 
so forth. He has done considerable work for 
the principle residents of not only the city, but 
also throughout the entire state, and if we 
should refer to one-half of his clientele this 
story would be akin to a city directory. 

He is a prominent and influential member 
of the Philadelphia Caterers' Association, 
Quaker City Association, Saint Mary's Catho- 
lic Beneficial Society, and is in all respects 
worthy of a prominent place in this work. 



Francis Tracy Tobin 

Atlorney-al-Law 

In his chosen profession Francis Tracy 
Tobin takes high rank at the bar of Phila- 
delphia. He possesses all the natural attri- 
butes essential for a successful lawyer, solid 
learning acquired under a brilliant and famous 




preceptor : combativeness, loyalty to cause 
and client, and untiring industry. Mr. Tobin 
is a native of Philadelphia, where he was born 
May 15, 1859. His father, Thomas, was a 
hero of the 

"Days of old. 

The days of gold. 

The days of '49." 

and was a pioneer in the first rush to the gold 
fields of California. He entered into business 
in San Francisco, which he subsequently ex- 
tended to Xew York, taking up his residence 
in Philadelphia, and where he wedded Har- 
riet J. Tracy, one of his partners in the whole- 
sale Yankee notions firm of Tobin, Davidson 
& Co., of Xew York and San Francisco. 
Francis Tracy and his brother, Eugene Tracy, 
were born in Philadelphia, the former on the 
I5tli of May, 1859. The father was able to 
bestow upon him a liberal education, which 
he obtained at the celebrated Rugby .\cademy, 
and being destined for the law. in the Law 
Department of the University of Pennsylva- 
nia. In the meantime Francis was fortunate 



362 



Pennsylvania and Its Pnblic Men. 



enough to be enrolled as a student under the 
Nestor of the bar, Benjamin Harris Brew- 
ster, and was one of his favorite pupils. He 
was admitted to practice December 31, 1881. 
He met with marked success in his profession, 
devoting himself to general civil practice, and 
is regarded as an authority on the law of 
libel. I\Ir. Tobin has made a specialty of 
taking testimony as a Master, which has called 
him into many of the States, as well as abroad 
and to the Isle of Cuba. He has large in- 
terests in New Mexico, and at one time was 
a candidate for governor of that territory. 
He has always been active as a Republican, 
and being a strong and pleasing stump speaker, 
has participated in a number of State and 
national campaigns as such. He was ap- 
pointed a delegate from New Mexico to the 
National E.xport Exposition, held in Philadel- 
phia, and to the National Congress on Divorce, 
held in Washington in 1908. 

Mr. Tobin is a member of Court Bartram. 
Forresters of America. He has a suite of 
offices in the Drexel Building and maintains a 
residence at 4213 Regent .Square. 






George W. Young 
Philadelphia Builder. (See sketch, page 307) 




John F. Flaherty 

President Mutual Republican Club of Philadelphia (seepage 182) 



William Bredem Kirker 

Prothonotary of Allegheny County 

William B. Kirker has led an extremely ac- 
tive political life and has occupied a number 
of public positions. He was born at the county 
seat of Butler County, November 21, i860, and 
when four years old his parents removed to 
.Allegheny City, and later to Bellevue, Alle- 
gheny County. His education was received in 
the public schools and the University of West- 
ern Pennsylvania. With his first vote Mr. 
Kirker became active in the affairs of the Re 
publican partv. which led to his appointment 
in the office of Prothonotary of Allegheny. In 
the meantime he had entered upon the study 
of the law, and in September 16, 1893, he was 
admitted to practice in the County Courts; in 
1895 was admitted to the Supreme Court. He 
has filled the offices of Burgess of Bellevue, 
Justice of the Peace, Borough Solicitor and 
Councilman. He has been a member of the 
Allegheny County Republican Committee 
twenty-eight years. He has been a delegate 
to several State conventions. In 1900 he was 
elected a member of the Legislature, and 
served continuously in that body until 1906, 
being an influential and useful member. He 
then assumed the office of Prothonotary of 
;\llegheny, which he still occupies. He is a 
member of the leading clubs of the county. 



IN MEMORIAM 



Frank Thomson 

A Prraident of ihe Pennsylvania Railroad 

The name of Trank Thomson is a bright 
star in the galaxy of practical and famous 

raiirn" ' "■•.;•. .^e? who niri'lc t!ie IV'iin'-',-1'.:!''in 




Railroad System one of the greatest in the 
world. From a boy with a mechanical in- 
genuity in the Altoona construction shops, 
he climbed his way up by sheer abi'ity and 
masterfulness until he became President of 
the Pennsylvania Railroad. 

Frank Thomson was born at Chambersburg, 
Franklin County, Pennsylvania, on July 5, 
1841. He was descended of Scotch ances- 
try, and possessed all the best attributes of 
that shrewd and energetic race. His great 
grandfather. Alexander Thomson, was one 
of the first settlers in the Cumberland Valley, 
having imigratcd from Greenock, Scotland, 
in 1771. His father, Alexander Thomson, 
I^L.D., represented the Chambersburg district 
in Congress during the sessions of 1824-26, 
during which time he was a member of the 
Committee on the AfTairs of the District of 
Columbia, and rendered such va'uab'e service 
to the district that the commissioners had his 



portrait painted and hung in their hall in 
W'asliington, where it still hangs. He was 
President Judge of the then Si.xtecnth Judicial 
District of Pennsylvania. 

The subject of this sketch received his early 
and classical education at Chambersburg. He 
ihen entered the employ of the Pennsylvania 
Railroad at the age of seventeen at the Altoona 
shops, where he liad a four years' course from 
which he was graduated a mechanical engi- 
neer. He could build a locomr)tive through 
every stage of the construction from the crude 
iron to the finished monster on the rai's, while 
he also was fitted as a locomotive engineer. 
Co'onel Thomas A. Scott, then General Su- 
perintendent of the Road, soon detected the 
ability of Mr. Thomson, and upon the break- 
ing out of the Rebellion, when Mr. Scott was 
called to Washington by Secretary Stanton 
and p'aced in charge of the military railroads, 
Mr. Thomson was one of the practical men 
he selected to assist him. Mr. Thomson's 
task was the expediting of the movement of 
troops into Washington, via .-Xnnapolis after- 
ward via Baltimore, and in organizing Colonel 
.Scott's department of the army. After mid- 
night of the morning of May 2^, 1S61, the 
Union troops occupied .\lexandria, Virginia, 
and by noon of the latter date, Mr. Thomson 
made his headquarters in that city in a resi- 
dence he named the ".Scott House," and pro- 
ceeded at once, with a number of men whom 
he obtained from the Pennsylvania Railroad, 
to restore the Orange and Alexandria branch 
of the I oudoun and Hampshire Rai'road, to 
repair the shops, machinery, and whatever 
rollinsr stock the Confederates had left behind 
in their retreat. When this was accomplished 
Mr. Thomson was but twenty years old. and 
his work was marvelous. He had an impor- 
tant part in the construction of the road across 
the I ong Piri'lp'e and out of .Alexandria, which 
broucht Washington into connection with the 
"front." .After having served throurli the 
war be was relieved from militarv duty, and 
in Tune, iJ'6j, when he was less than twenty- 
three years old. he was apoointed superin- 
tendent of the Eastern Division of the Phila- 
(Ic'phia and Erie, and in which capacity his 
time was occupied until March. 1S73, when 
he was made Superintendent of the Motive 
Power of the Pennsylvania Railroad at Al- 
toona. His procress was rapid, and on July 
I, 1874, he relinquished this post and became 
general manaeer of the Pennsylvania Rail- 
road System East of Pittsburg and Erie. The 

363 



364 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



standard track and solid roadbed owes its ex- 
istence to his efforts, and the system of the 
track inspection and the award of prizes for 
the best selections of track were instituted 
by him. The adoption of the superior stand- 
ard of equipment, the building of picturesque 
stations, and the ornamentation of their 
grounds, the using of the block signal system, 
and other safety appliances were all distinc- 
tive features of his administration. He was 
also instrumental in developing the high 
grade of discipline for which the Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad has always been noted. On 
October i, 1882, Mr. Thomson became 2d 
Vice-President, and October 28, 1888, was 
advanced to the post of ist Vice-President, 
and upon the death of the late George P). 
Roberts on January 30, 1897, Mr. Thomson 
was unanimously elected to the Presidency. 
In the fall of 1871 he accompanied the Rus- 
sian Grand Duke Alexis on a railroad tour 
through the country, which was personally 
conducted and managed by Mr. Thomson. 
The train in which the royal visitor traveled 
was run as a "special" over the various roads, 
a distance of 6000 miles, without a single 
mishap. In acknowledgment of their obliga- 
tions the Russian admiral, who was in charge 
of the Grand Duke's suite, sent a highly com- 
plimentary letter to the Pennsylvania Rail- 
road, expressing admiration for the arrange- 
ments made by Mr. Thomson, addine that he 
was "no less agreeable as a companion as he 
was invaluable as a manager." 

Frank Thomson's name is illustrious among 
the men who are recognized as invincible fig- 
ures, and who have given America the tm- 
disputed leadership in steam railway trans- 
portation. 



Peter Samuel Dooner 

The late Peter Samuel Dooner was a man 
who was held in high esteem by all with 
whom he came in contact. A jovial host and 
a hale fellow, well met and always had a 
hearty grip of the hand for his friends, who 
were legion. Mr. Dooner was born in 1838 
in County Roscommon, Ireland, and when six 
years of age came with his parents to America, 
settling in Philadelphia. A common school 
education was all that fell to his lot, and at 
the expiration of his scholastic career he be- 
came an apprentice to the machine business 
in the Norris Locomotive Works, remaining 
there for a period of five years ; subsequently 
went with Hoe Company, Printing Press 
Builders, of New York City, and returning 
to Philadelphia after four years, he became 
foreman of the Age Press Room for thirteen 
years, and subsequently went with the Times 



in the same capacity, remaining for one year 
and a half. In 1876 he opened a hotel and 
restaurant on Chestnut Street below Eighth, 
and afterward on Tenth Street above Chest- 
nut, where the famous Dooner's Hotel still 
stands. It is not alone in hotel life that the 
late Mr. Dooner stood to the forefront; he 
had a military career that any man might be 
proud of. For five years he was Captain of 




Company D, Third Regiment, Pennsylvania 
Xationai Guards, and was Vice-President of 
the Mechanics" Fire Insurance Company. He 
was an active and influential member and 
officer of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick 
and the Hibernian Society of Philadelphia, 
and it was through his untiring and unaided 
efforts that the Society was built up to its 
Ijresent magnitude. Prior to his death he 
admitted into partnership his sons, Edward J., 
Thomas Freeman, and William J., Dooner, 
who have succeeded to the business and who 
are conducting it on the same high plane as 
was the custom of their father. Mr. Edward 
J. Dooner is now the President of the Friendly 
Sons of St. Patrick and the Hibernian So- 
ciety of Philadelphia, Director of the Bene- 
ficial Savings Fund of Philadelphia, and also 
a Director of the Mechanics Fire Insurance 
Company. All of the successors to the hos- 
telry are widely known and universally es- 
teemed. 



Pciiiisyli'diiia atui Its I'lthlic Men. 



365 




William Weightman 



chemist 



William Weightman. deceased, the world- 
famed chemist of I'hiladelpliia, was of Eng- 
lish origin and hirth. At his death he left 
behind one of the largest chemical plants in 
the world and a colossal fortime. in addition 
to an enviable reputation for honest dealing 
and business probity. Mr. Weightman was 
born at Grimsby, a sea port of England. Sep- 
tember 30. 1S13. His uncle. John Farr. the 
brother of his mother, had emigrated to 
America soon after Mr. Weightman"s birth, 
and. settling in Philadelphia, had established 
in that city a successful laboratory for the 
production of sulphate of quinine for which 
there was an ever increasing demand, as the 
country became populated. Mr. Wei'd'tman 
came from a familv of chemists, and while 



yel a lad determined upon chemistry for a 
profession and his life work. 

W hen sixteen years of age he came to Phil- 
adelphia in order to complete a pharmaceutical 
course, and with the intention of making this 
city his future home. 

It was during his apprenticeship that he 
fortunately met Thomas Powers, and there 
grew up between them an indissoluble friend- 
ship out of which grew the famous firm of 
Powers & Weightman. whose products were 
eventually to be known and sold throughout 
the civilized world. Their plant, situated at 
Xinth an'l Rrown ."Streets, grew to mammoth 
nroportions. occupving an entire square city 
block. 

Thomas Powers, the partner, died in 1878, 



366 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



when the entire management of the business 
fell upun Mr. Weighlman, and which he con- 
ducted until his death. 

Mr. Weightman was married in Christ's 
Church, March 17, 1841, to Louisa Stillwagon, 
of Philadelphia. Three children were the 
result of this union — John Farr Weightman, 
William Weightman, Jr., and Anna Maria. 
The father outlived both his sons as well as 
his son-in-law, R. T. Walker. His daughter. 
.Vnna Maria, who had practical y grown up 
in his business office and had developed a com- 
mercial genius that gave to her an individual- 
ity in the business world, upon the death of 
her husband, became her father's sole partner. 
William Weightman died in the harness at 
his country home, Ravenhill, when within one 
month of attaining his ninety-first year. Mr. 
Weightman was a sound believer in real 
estate for money investment, and the great 
future of the city of Philadelphia. At the 
time of his death he was a larger holder of 
real estate than any other man in the State 
of Pennsylvania, and enjoyed the distinction 
of paying more taxes than any other citizen 
of Philadelphia. In 1892. and when in his 
seventy-ninth year, Mr. Weightman was vis- 
ited with a severe i'lness, and, up to being 
stricken, had visited his office and plant every 
day, spending his time there from 7 A.M. 
until 6.,-^o P.M. He was the possessor of a 
remarkable faculty for business detail and of 
a marvelous memory. It was said of him that 
he could have conducted his great business 
without books. Of the hundreds of employees 
on his pay-roll, he knew each one by name. 

Mr. Weiffhtman was immune to the glamor 
and the distinction of public honors, being sin- 
gularly averse to notoriety, and although im- 
portuned, would never accent public office, 
nor was he ever seen at pub'ic functions. He 
left his entire fortune to his daughter, Mrs. 
Walker, now Mrs. Penfie'd. 



Hon. Thomas Knight Finletter 

Thomas Knight Finletter, LL.D., late Judge 
of Court of Common Pleas No. 3, was born 
in Philadelphia, December 31, 1821. He en- 
tered Lafayette College in 1838. At the end 
of the Freshman year he enrolled at the Uni- 
versity of Pennsylvania and graduated as 
Bachelor of Laws in 1843. He read law in 
the ofifice of Judge William A. Porter and was 
admitted to the bar in 1845. Soon after this 
he was elected to the State Legislature and 
served during the sessions of 1848-50, draft- 
ing and introducing the Ten-hour Labor Bi'l, 
which became a law during his first term. He 
served as school director from 1849-54, and 
from 1860-65 as Assistant City Solicitor. In 
1870 he was elected Judge of the Court of 



Common Pleas, and in 1875 was re-elected, 
being made President-Judge of Court No. 3 
in 1886, and served in that position continu- 
ously until October I, 1906, when the Board 
of Judges elected him Prothonotary of the 
Court of Common Pleas, in which ofifice he 
continued until his death, on .Vpril i, 1907. 

During his short service as Prothonotary, 
Judge Finletter made a thorough revision of 
the laws governing court costs in Philadel- 




phia County, and prepared the statute on that 
subject which is now in force. 

On the occasion of his last election to the 
bench in 1900, he was the unanimous choice 
of both political parties, having already been 
twice similarly honored. 

Judge Finletter was made a Doctor of 
Laws by Jefferson Medical College in 1871. 
He married, in 1859, Martha M., daughter of 
Archibald Mcllroy, a prominent manufacturer 
and former Alderman of Philadelphia, and 
had three children, Thomas D,, Leonard and 
Helen B., wife of Charles F. Cleinent. 
Thomas D. Fin'etter, the elder son, has an 
established reputation at the Philadelphia bar, 
which is logical by reason of the splendid ad- 
vantage he enjoyed in his legal training under 
the care of his distinguished father. Judge 
Finletter was one of a coterie of judges in- 
cluding Ludlow, .Arno'd, Hare, Biddle and 
Pearce, who were famous in their day, and 
gave to the courts of Philadelphia County a 
reputation that was more than State wide. 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



367 



Frederick August Poth 

Frederick August Potli, deceased, was a 
man who would have been remarkable in any 
period of modern times that he had lived. 
He could have been distinguished in states- 
manship, or in the law, or the sciences, or in 
war had fate led him into their paths, since 




he possessed ability, courage, and industry 
that would have made him great and famous 
in either, but it fell to his lot to carve out a 
business career in which it was but natural 
and logical that he should have arisen to 
greatness and leadership. lie has left behind 
him in the city of his adoption, in the crea- 
tion of mammoth industrial ])lants antl in the 
development of gigantic building operations, a 
monument around which is entwined the lov- 
ing reminiscence of his personality. 

Seeking a new home in Philadelphia, prac- 
tically a penniless youth, a stranger to its 
language and its customs, he made that of his 
life that when the Griin Reaper had coin- 
pleted his work he left behind a vast fortune 
and a business enterprise that is destined to 
enrich future generations of his family. 

Rorn in the village of W'alhalben, Reinfalz, 
Germany, of well-to-do parents in 1S40, he 
received a liberal education, and at an early 
age joined his father in his business enter- 
prises. The latter, meeting with financial re- 
verses, the yoimgor Poth. realizing that his 



future and his ability to assist his parents now 
depended upon his own exertions, deter- 
mined to emigrate to America and arrived in 
Philadelphia in 1861. lie obtained employ- 
ment with VoUmer and Born, a firm of brew- 
ers, and from then on we find him bringing 
his marvelous industry into play, since in 1863 
he has taken a wife, and established himself 
with a small brewery in the yard of his dwell- 
ing at Third and (jrecn Streets, with a capac- 
ity of five hundred barrels of beer for the first 
year. He set out with the determination to 
ijrew the best beer in Philadelphia, which he 
did, and business came to him as with a ma- 
gician's wand. He had soon outgrown his 
modest little establishment when he leased a 
building at the Falls of Schuylkill. It was 
not long before the demand for his product 
outgrew this, and greater facilities had to bo 
found. He then made his advent into "Brcw- 
crytown," renting a portion of I'entz and 
Rcily's brewery, and in 1868 he became the 
owner of the plant. And still the business 
grew by leaps and bounds so that, in 1870. 
more room had to be found, and the site of 
the present great plant of F. .\. Poth and 
Sons, Incorporated, was purchased, and mod- 
ern buildings erected. He was ever on the 
alert to introduce new appliances and ma- 
chinery to improve the product and lessen the 
cost. He was the first to experiment with 
refrigerating machinery, and was the pioneer 
in liberal advertising, while he inaugurated 
the use of elaborate signs now so universally 
used by the trade. .At the Centennial Expo- 
sition he secured an extensive tract opposite 
the site, and erected extensive temporary 
buildings for restaurants, but the enterprise 
was not successful. I'ndeterrcd by this fail- 
ure, Mr. Poth purchased the ground outright 
and erected thereon an extensive apartment 
house and a row of attractive residences, 
which are known as the "Parkside," and was 
thus enabled not on'y to recoup bis first loss, 
but realized a handsome return upon the in- 
vestment. 

In 1887 Mr. Poth changed his business into 
a corporation imder the title of the F. A. 
Poth 8; Sons, Incorporated, in which his two 
sons, Frederick J. and Williain O., were asso- 
ciated. Mr. William O. Poth has since died, 
and the company is now managed by Fred- 
erick T. Poth, as president, and Harry .'\. 
Poth, as secretary and treasurer. The young- 
est son, Frank I.. Poth. will enter the com- 
pany upon attaining his majority. The pres- 
ent capacity of the plant is 500,000 barrels 
per annum, and it is considered a model of 
this industry in the United States. 

Mr. Polh was a generous and a considerate 
emplovcr, and his solicitation for his men 
was both brotherly and paternal. On October 



368 



Pciinsvh'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



I, 1895, a jubilet- was held, arranged by 
his sons, entirely unknown to him, to com- 
memorate the event of the enormous output 
of a single establishment from such modest 
beginnings. This celebration was made really 
a carnival, lasting for a fortnight, when brew- 
ers and distillers from all parts of the world 
were entertained by him and his sons. Mr. 
Poth's real estate and building operations con- 
tributed largely to the development of the 
"Greater Philadelphia," particularly along the 
Park front. The success of the Integrity. 
Title Insurance and Trust Company was 
largely due to his wisdom in financial matters. 
He was a man whose word was his bond, and 
it is said of him that he never made a promise, 
direct or implied, that he did not honor. 
Many a young man whom he brought from 
Germany is now successful and rich. He 
retained an ardent love for his native town, 
which, in his later years, he visited annually, 
and an aqueduct, a church, and a school house 
stand as monuments of his benefactions. Of 
simple tastes and loving nature, he accumu- 
lated a great landed estate in the vicinity of 
Norristown. and his model farms, with their 
blooded stock, became famous in that section. 
Mr. Poth"s death occurred January 21, 1905. 
and was a distinct shock to an army of 
friends, both in this country and abroad, as 
well as to the city of his adoption. 



James Lawrence Miles 

Former High Sheriff of Philadelphia 

Born July 16, 1848; died November 2. 
1907. 

Among the brilliant Republicans who shone 
as stars in the political firmament of Phila- 
delphia during the last four decades, none 
commanded more attention, respect, admira- 
tion, and love than did James L. Miles. Amid 
the turbulent controversies of many campaigns 
he stood undismayed like some towering oak 
whose strength after the storm is seen by 
contrast in the surrounding disasters. With 
a mind which canopied the science of law and 
the peculiar art of humanizing it in his own 
personality, he soon came to occupy one of 
the highest places in his party's councils. In 
the midst of his activities and in the strength 
of his manhood he was cut down by an in- 
curable malady which baffled the highest med- 
ical skill. 

His death was deeply mourned bv those 
who knew him and his memory continues to 
be a loving inheritance. 

James L. Miles was Philadelphia born, but 
came from a Delaware family, the tree of 
which originated in Wales. Looking back to 



his forebears it can be said they came over 
in 1682 with Penn, settling in a portion of 
Xew Castle County, Delaware, which, to this 
day, is known as the "Welsh Tract." The 
family had representatives in the Revolution, 
the \\'ar of 1812, the Mexican War, and the 
war-like strain is continued in Lieut. -General 
Xelson A. Miles, a relative and descendant of 
a Miles, who. leaving Delaware, removed to 
Massachusetts. His father was Edward W., 




and his mother, Caroline A. Rogers, daugh- 
ter of the first copper plate printer of Phila- 
delphia. After graduating from the Central 
Pligh School. Mr, Miles engaged for some 
years in commercial life with the sliipping 
house of S. Morris Wain & Company, but the 
bent of his mind being in the legal direction, 
he studied law in the offices of the famous 
Col. William B. Mann, and was admitted to 
practice in 1881. The Civil War in progress 
while he was a lad, he devoted his time with 
the Young Samaritans, gathering delicacies, 
clothing, and picking lint for the sick and 
needy soldiers who filled the hospitals of the 
citv. Upon reaching voting age in the Thir- 
teenth \\'ard. he identified himself with the 
Republican party, and became an officer in the 
noted "Republican Invincibles." In 1878 he 
had gained such prominence that he com- 
manded the nomination for Select Council, 
and was elected, only to be defeated in 1881 
bv John P. ^^'oolverton. candidate of the Com- 
mittee of One Hundred, and through the 



Pciiiisxlvaiiia and lis Public Men. 



369 



treachery of James McMannes, who had 
taken umbrage at his refusal to vote for M. 
Hall Stanton for Trustee of the Gas Works. 
However, in 1S91, he was returned to Select 
Council, taking the place of John H. Graham, 
deceased. He received nine additional re- 
elections which covered a period of a quarter 
of a century. In 1893 Mr. Miles was elected 
to the presidency of Select Council, and he 
continued as its presiding officer for nine 
years, a distinction that never came to any 
other man in the history of the city. Mr. 
Miles was a trained parliamentarian and a 
courteous and model presider over the de- 
liberations of Select Council, and one of 
its distinctive leaders. In 1895 Mr. Miles 
was appointed real estate deputy in the 
office of Sherifif, its most responsible posi- 
tion, and in 1896 he was selected as the 
most available man by the anti-Quay combine 
with which to defeat Alexander Crow. In 
a convention crowded with sensations he suc- 
ceeded in overwhelmingly defeating Crow, 
but his success became the signal for uncon- 
trollable newspaper criticism which favored 
Crow's independent candidacy that his judg- 
ment led him to withdraw from the ticket. 
Upon the election of Sheriff Wencil Hart- 
man, however, Mr. Miles was again made 
Real Estate Deputy, and upon the expiration 
of the former's term the unanimous nomina- 
tion for Sheriff came to him. and he was 
elected, in 1902, by a great majority. He then 
ended his long and brilliant career in City 
Councils, and filled the office of Sheriff with 
distinction and ability. In 1905 he retired and 
resumed the active practice of his profession. 
Mr. Miles assumed the leadership of the Thir- 
teenth Ward in August, 1900, displacing 
William B. .-Xhern. He was then Chairman 
of the Ward Executive Committee. Ahern 
was recalled as the representative to the City 
Campaign Committee, and Mr. Miles was 
elected in his stead. He remained as thf 
ward leader until bis death, commanding the 
esteem and the willing services of the partv 
workers. He was the founder of the Mutual 
Republican Club, and has left his monument 
in its splendid club house on Spring Garden 
Street. Mr. Miles was simple in his tastes 
and habits, devoted to his wife and home. On 
January 17. 1884, Mr. Miles married Carra 
Estella Perkins, who came from the Xew Jer- 
sey branch of the Perkins's family. She was 
a teacher in the public schools of Philadelphia, 
and had as her scholars many who became 
prominent in affairs. They were married by 
Rev. Joseph D. Newlin. who was called upon 
to preside at the funeral of Mr. Miles, which 
occurred November 6, 1907. and was the 
largest ever witnessed in the Thirteenth 
Ward. The honorary pall bearers were 
24 



Ju<lges Audienreid, Bregy, Kinscy, and Von 
Moschzisker, City Treasurer Bringhurst, 
Peter E. Costello, Director Henry Clay, 
Israel W. Durham, Josej)h K. Fletcher, Di- 
rector Klemmer. Samuel D. Lit, James P. Mc- 
-Vichol, David II. Lane, George McCurdy, 
Charles X. Mann, David Martin, Senator 
Penrose, Mayor Reyburn, Governor Stuart. 
Col. A. Louden Snowden. Controller Wal- 
ton. Senator Wolf. Congressman Moon, Col. 
Edward W. Patton, Thomas J. Ryan, and 
James Barton. M.D. 



Walter Hatfield 




Walter Hatfield was born in Philadelphia, 
January i, 1852: son of Dr. Xathan Lewis 
Hatfield who, for sixty years, was a distin- 
guished practitioner of medicine in Philadel- 
phia, having been graduated in 1826 in the 
first class, and in 1875 ^^as President of the 
.Munmi of Jefferson Medical College. 

The subject of this sketch has a patriotic 
ancestry. His grandfather was a captain in 
the War of 1812, and his great grandfather 
an officer in the Revolution. The fainily plan- 
tations in Xew York and Xew Jersey appear 
among the lists of taxable estates as early as 
1670. 

In i()82 one of his ancestors. Col. Henry 
Pawling, who came to this country in the 
English service with Governor Xichols. was 



370 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



given a grant of several thousand acres of 
crown land in Ulster County near Esopus in 
the State of New York, for meritorious serv- 
ices rendered in the Colonial Wars and in 
settlements with the Indians. Subsequently 
John and Henry Pawling, his descendants, 
were Justices of the Peace, with Isaac Nor- 
ris, Samuel Mifflen, Thomas Willing, and 
others, in Philadelphia County, from De- 
cember 3, 1733, the date of one of the Com- 
missions, until 1761, when the list of gen- 
tlemen recommended for justices to the 
Governor on February 28th of that year con- 
tained the name of Henry Pawling of that 
branch of the family that operated the old 
forge at Valley Forge, Montgomery County, 
Pa. 

John Hatfield, another ancestor, in 1734 
had a plantation in Montgomery County in 
Hatfield Township, which took its name from 
the family. 

Walter Hatfield was, from boyhood, an in- 
defatigable worker. He was prepared for 
college at the Classical School of Henry D. 
Gregory on Market above Eleventh Street, 
as were his elder brothers Nathan and Doug- 
lass, and which his younger brother, Henry 
Reed, also attended. 

At school he applied himself seriously to 
his studies and won many prizes for pro- 
ficiency. At the age of sixteen he passed his 
examinations for the full classical course at 
the University of Pennsylvania, and was ma- 
triculated in the Department of Arts in the 
Class of '72. His conduct at the University 
was exemplary and he enjoyed such college 
life and activities as existed at that time. He 
was a member of the Zelosophic Society and 
took an active interest in its success. 

At the end of his junior year, which was 
in the spring of 1871, his father took him to 
California, over the newly constructed Union 
Pacific Railroad, to attend a convention of 
the American Medical Association. On his 
return he visited the old forge above referred 
to, and one on the Brandywine, which also 
had been operated by his family. This put 
him in the notion of engaging in the manu- 
facture of iron and he seemed to have in- 
herited a taste for the career in which he 
was subsequently so successful. His father 
soon found for him a position, and afterward 
his capital in an establishment known as the 
Delaware Rolling Mills, located on the Dela- 
ware River in the district of Kensington, 
which had been started only the year previous. 
There he continued with unusual success for 
the rest of his life, having realized his am- 
bition to be at the head of a prosperous iron 
industry. 

Throughout his life he was uniformly con- 
siderate of the feelings of others. In his 



relations with his associates, whether business 
or social, he maintained a dignity of bearing 
and reserve of manner which characterized 
his whole being. He was the soul of gener- 
osity and took great pleasure in buying and 
distributing gifts. He was fond of travel and 
gratified this taste by frequent trips abroad. 
Being an intelligent collector of works of 
art, he devoted considerable time to the sub- 
ject, and while traveling, particularly in a 
trip around the world as well as one to Rus- 
sia, brought home some of the finest speci- 
mens to be found anywhere outside the well- 
known museums of the world. He was espe- 
cially interested in the welfare of his em- 
ployees, and was ever ready to adjust their 
rights with broad-minded justice and un- 
stinted liberality. 

He remained a bachelor until his death on 
May 18, 1908. 



Morris Boney 

The late Morris Boney w-as one of the pio- 
neer stevedores who revolutionized the steve- 




dore business. Up until the time of his death, 
which occurred on March 18, 1903, he stood 
in the forefront of its ranks and was easily 
recognized as the leading master stevedore 



Pennsvlvania and Its I'lihlic Men. 



of the city. Pliiladelpliia lays claim to the 
fact of there hcinfj many self-made men, and 
the late Morris Honey can easily be classified 
among that number. His birth occurred on 
January 26, 1S37, at Cork, Ireland. His 
parents were .\ndrew and Marsjaret Boney. 
Born of poor parentage he was somewhat 
lian(licai)ped in the pursuit of making a for- 
tune, but he had the grit of the Irishman and 
of the American. In 1856 he followed his 
parents to the United States, traversing vari- 
ous parts of the country, and in this way 
he learned much of the methods of trans- 
portation, and quick to recognize there was 
great room for improvement in the facili 
ties for increasing commerce and expediting; 
the handling of freight, he came to Philadel- 
phia and engaged in stevedore work, opening 
up an office and warehouse on Xoble Street. 
This was around iS6i, the operation at that 
time for the entire city averaged 100 tons per 
day, and was considered excellent work, but 
when compared to the co'ossal business that is 
done to-day, it seems almost ludicrous when it 
is stated (as a comparison) that at the pres- 
ent writing nearly 4000 tons per day is the 
average handling. 

Mr. Boney was the first man to build his 
own plant at Richmond, and secured piers at 
that point for the purpose of facilitating his 
work. Mr. Boney did much to bring Phila 
deiphia to the forefront in his chosen trade, 
and even to-day it is nothing unusual to have 
at least ten steamers at one titne aw-aiting 
to be relieved of their valuable cargoes and 
sent away again in quest of commerce. In 
the political arena he always kept in the rear, 
declining over and over again to accept office 
for the reason that the business cares of his 
vast business would not permit him to accept 
the office tended to him ; but he was always 
to the forefront to the assistance of his 
friends who have been candidates at various 
times for councilmanic or legislative honors. 
He was for a number of years president of 
what was then known as the Seashore Rail- 
road, and at the time of his death the railroat! 
was known as the South Jersey Railroad and 
Mr. Boney was one of its directors. 

He married Mary Buckley, of Philadelphia, 
who was also a native of Ireland, and out of 
eight children four are surviving: Jennie, 
Elizabeth, Morris, Jr,, and Harry. Mr. Mor- 
ris, Jr.. has assumed the control of the busi- 
ness since his father's death, and maintains 
the prestige and the pre-eminence in the busi- 
ness, and upholds the honesty and integrity 
which were his father's laurels. 



Col. A. K. McClure 

Col. .\. K. McClure. the dean of Philadel- 
phia journalism and Pennsylvania politicians, 
and now the Prolhonotary of the Supreme 
Court, has had a career such as few men can 
look back upon. He was born at Centre. 
Porrv Coiintv. Pennsvlvnnia. Innn.nrv o. iX2><. 




and educated in the ptil)lic scliools. He was 
admitted to the bar in 1855, but became a 
figure in politics long before then, and was 
one of the founders of the Republican party. 
Colonel McClure has been State Superintend- 
ent of Public Printing, besides being State 
Representative three times; State Senator, one 
term from the Franklin District, and one term 
from Philadelphia. His journalistic experi- 
ence was begun as editor of the Juniata Senti- 
nel. He was also editor of the Chanihersburg 
Repository, and for twenty-six years was edi- 
tor-in-chief of the Philadelphia Times, which 
he founded. The Colonel has had varied ex- 
periences, and during the Civil War reached 
the position of Assistant Adjutant General of 
the United States Army with the rank of 
Major. -As State Chairman of the Republican 
party he carried Pennsylvania for Lincoln for 
President, whose friend he was. For fifty 
years he particioated in the turmoil of State 
and national politics. 



372 



Pcinisyhania and Its Public Men. 




William L. Mathues 

Former State Treasurer 



Sam Hudson's Lecture Upon ''Columbus 
As 1 Knew Him' 



^1 



(This lecture was delivered before the Pennsylvania Legislature, iiiakin;; a lilt that inspired the Penrose 
Republican Club, of Philadelphia, to invite its repetition for its benefit in Association Hall. ) 



Mr. Chairman and Members of the Society 
FOR THE Accumulation of Wealth : 

Before precipitating myself upon my even- 
ing's syllabus, I desire to say a word — per- 
haps two words — to those miserable represen- 
tatives of my race who, as the result of an 
early or an indiscreet piety, wedlock with a 
female whose fingers love to linger in a man's 
hair; that is, wlien she has no rolling pin 
handy, hereditary or miscellaneous causes, 
may have become prematurely and perma- 
nently — bald. 

To such citizens and taxpayers I would 
state, incidentally and parenthetically, that I 
am here to bring joy and hope and comfort to 
your innocuous and incandescent souls. 

I am here to bring hair to the barren discs 
of your craniological developments. 

Some fellow has said that he is a blessing 
to his kind, who maketh a blade of grass to 
grow where no grass grew before. 

I think he omitted to state as to the grass, 
whether it should be clover or timothy-grass, 
or plain, common lawn-grass, alfalfa, or sour- 
grass. 

But how infinitely more is he to be blessed 
who maketh a blade of hair to grow upon a 
desolate capillary region on which the hair 
has ceased to grow? 

Columbus may have discovered Cuba and 
the adjacent job lot of islands, but into what 
insignificance does his achievement sink in 
comparison with my discovery of Hudson's 
amelioration for the crime of baldness. 

It has revolutionized the scalp-lifting in- 
dustry of the noble red man. To-day I 
shipped a consignment of my discovery to the 
Kick-a-Poo tribe of aborigines, or, rather, to 
what is left of that tribe. 

Fire-water, cut-throat poker, and cigarettes, 
alas ! are fast sweeping our gentle Indian 
brother from the dancing floor of this ter- 
restrial high-ball room. Soon, too soon, my 
friends, like the bounding bison of the woolly 
and the cyclonic West and the Jabberwock 
that sang to the soughing winds in the rugged 
and altitudinous branches of the .\mfalula 
tree, we shall know him no more forever, un- 
til we shall meet him in the happy hunting 
grotinds — or the bad lands of the other — es- 
tablishment. Prior to my discovery a disrepu- 
table Indian had no use for a hairless mem- 



ber of the human family, except for target 
practice. My discovery lias therefore been a 
priceless boon to the poor Indian, affording 
iiim occupation for his idle hours and amuse- 
ment for his .gayer moods. When the gentle 
savage of the plain now catches a bald-headed 
tax-payer, he uses my restorer upon him. 

When he is ripe — the taxpayer, 1 mean — he 
scalps him. 

Then, with a silvery laugh, he goes on his 
way rejoicing. 

The victim seeks the nearest Western 
Union Office and w'ires me. 

He wires me for a bottle — a bottle of my 
discovery, and I ship it — C.O.D. 

In a week's time he is fixed with hair again. 
He is prepared to do business with another 
Indian, or with that same Indian, perhaps. 

All progressive tribes of Indians now keep 
my restorer in stock. They can now keep a 
pale face in captivity and scalp him every 
week. Providence has ordained that all great 
humorists shall fulfill their individual destiny 
on earth short of hairs. 

It was very unjust of Providence to make 
a by-law like that. Since I began to use my 
discovery upon myself and began to acciunu- 
latc a phcnomenail and Paddywiskian growth 
of hair, as it were, I have gradually lapsed 
into the seriousness of a judge of the Super- 
ior Court, who has no bad habits. 

Indeed, I might add that I am so serious 
that I am delivering this lecture for fame 
alone, having no use for money, although my 
wife says she has. ^ly charge is five dollars 
per bottle, strictly in advance. 

Wild-cat currency under the platform of 
the Chicago convention that nominated Mr. 
Bryan will not be acceptetl, even if ten- 
dered by editors who may have a pull with 
the administration, or by nieuibers of the Band 
of Hope. If, after a trial of ten years, my 
discovery should prove abortive, I will cheer- 
fully refund the money: that is, if you can 
find me. My discovery is on sale at the rooms 
of the Presbyterian Board of Publication and 
at the business office of the Manayunk Scnti- 
jtcl. 

The chief of police has suggested to me — 
and those of you who have ever been in jail 
over night will bear witness to the thought- 
fulness of that official, particularly for keep- 



374 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



ing your valuabUs until your bail has arrived 
—has sug:p;ested to me that I should embody 
my recollections of Columbus in the form of 
a lecture, say, Columbus as I knew him. 

There is a fear, it grieves me to state, that 
there may be some of us who did not know 
Columbus; that is, knew him as I knew him. 
There is a fear, an apprehension, that pos- 
sibly there may be a human being somewhere 
on the crust of the earth who. in the midni2;ht 
of his ignorance, may be unaware that such a 
character as the immortal Italian ever lived 
and sailed the ocean blue. 

It is barely possible that there may be a 
vegetarian or a monometa'ist in my audience 
who may think that I am using the word blue 
in a facetious or an Artemus Ward sense 
in this connection, but I can assure you that 
the ocean was very blue to Columbus before 
he got over here. 

It distresses me to admit that there have 
been occasions in my own life and in my own 
experience when I should not have been able 
to have recognized my friend Columbus even 
had I met him, or come face to face with him 
at the polls. 

Christopher Columbus, LL.D., K.C.B., 
sprang from an humb'e but homogeneous 
parentage, the year no fellow can find out. 

With that facile, pellucid, and modern suc- 
cessor of Ananias, Col. Thomas Porterhouse 
Steak Ocheltrce, I place the date October 29, 
1446. 

Upon the other hand, such eminent bio- 
graphical authorities as the Hon. George 
Handy Smith, A.M., and the president of the 
Penrose Club, seem to favor October 29, 1451. 
But really, when you come to think of it in 
a cold and passionless moment, it is a small 
matter if a fellow doesn't know, officially, the 
year in which he was born. It is of far more 
consequence to him to be able to tell who his 
daddy was. .And there is where I have always 
enjoyed an advantage, my fellow-members of 
the Board of Trade, over a good many other 
fel'ows. But we are all agreed that this great 
politician, inventor, pirate, astronomer, navi- 
gator and discoverer, first opened his eyes 
upon this sinful world, which was to endow 
him with so much fame and visit him with so 
much misery, in the citv of Genoa, a city re- 
nowned for the abnormal size of its bed bugs 
and the fierceness of the appetite of its fleas. 
It is true that on'y sixteen other cities and 
boroughs have filed caveats and jumper 
claims for the distinction, but we do not pro- 
pose to go home with a black eye, or a scalp 
wound by precipitating a controversy and pos- 
sibly a riot here. The parent of my hero on 
the paternal side was named Domonico. The 
breed of fowls known favorably to fanciers 
and judges of poultry shows as Domonicks, 



was named in his honor and to perpetuate his 
name. He was the humble proprietor of a 
corner tavern, affording accommodation for 
man and beast, at No. 37 in the Vice Drittle 
Bontille, or drove yard, and where he con- 
tinued to do a safe and a conservative business 
until knocked out by the passage of the 
Brook's High License Law, a remonstrance 
having been presented against him for having 
worked a lead quarter on a blind customer in 
change. 

He was then induced by his thrifty wife to 
open a speak-easy. A kind and indulgent 
Providence smi'ed upon the undertaking. He 
soon established a flourishing growler trade, 
giving to the policeman on the beat and the 
lieutenant of the district a dollar in Italian 
currency each per diem to take an observation 
of the weather overhead as they passed his 
door — or rather — his speak-easy. 

It may interest those in the wine and spirit 
trade to know that the elder Columbus was 
the first to introduce the schooner to the trade 
in connection with the sale of beer. 

It is the belief shared by myself and other 
eminent authorities I might name, but for the 
lateness of the hour, that the youthful Colum- 
bus first conceived his ideas of navigation and 
his fondness for the sea that subsequently 
brought him fame and chains, by observing 
the schooners ladened with beer on an inshore 
tack on his father's bar. 

Little is known of the boyhood of this great 
character. He was the sweetest and the 
smartest twootsy-wootsy-baby-boy that ever 
lived — like you and I. 

He played bags and craps and corner ball 
and duck-on-davy, and he slid on a cellar 
door, like you and I. 

He said queer things at the table — mortify- 
ing things he ought not to have said when the 
pastor had been invited to tea and they had 
stewed chicken and cottage cheese — like you 
and I. 

On the first day of April he placed empty 
pocket books with strings to them on the 
pavement ; strings to them like they have to 
the horses at the Belmont race track, like you 
and I. 

He used to demur when his father directed 
him to fill the wood-box. or his mother sent 
him to the store for a pound of dried apples, 
like you and I. 

And on one occasion, in order to show off 
before the little girl, the daughter of a neigh- 
boring painter and glazier, and whom he in 
secret admired, and with whom he intended 
to elope, he placed surreptitiously a Chinese 
cracker under the rear quarters of an erudite 
and philosophic mule, the mule smashing the 
hulk window of a haberdasher and wrecking 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



375 



ihe Milwaukee brick front of a fashionable 
funeral director. 

For some days after the subsequent inter- 
view with his parent in the w'ash-house, Co- 
lumbus preferred to stand at his meals, like 
you and I. 

The lad attended a parochial school ; that 
is, when the fishing was nothing to brag of 
and the circus was not in town, where he 
acquire an aim with a spit-ball that excelled 
Hr. Carver's skill with a breech-loading rifle. 

History has pre.sorvcd for us his first com- 
position : — 

Mary had a little lamb. 

Its fleece was white as snow, 
.\nd everywhere that Mary went 

The lamb evinced an inclination to accom- 
pany Mary. 

What a depth of feeling, what a weird 
pathos, what a pastoral charm, what an ele- 
gance of diction, what an astonishing famil- 
iarity with the animal kingdom this simple 
verse portrays. 

Methinks I can see little Mary now in her 
childish haste busying her little self about her 
humb'.e home to get ready for the district 
school, the little brown schoolhouse in the 
dell. 

Methinks I can see little Marv now tying 
on her calico sun-bonnet, the lamb frisking its 
sawed-off tail in joyous anticipation and con- 
templating Mary's preparations with exuber- 
ance and gayity. 

Methinks I can see little Mary now shak- 
ing her curly head, done up in curl papers, 
the same little frizzy head that will nestle, bv 
and by, on the diamond bedizened shirt 
front of some hotel clerk, perhaps, and say- 
ing: "No, Towscr, we may have little pigs 
at school, but no little lambs." 

And then the look of despair, the flush of 
sadness, the shattered hope cavorting like a 
w^ild western cyclone or an Iro(|uois Indian 
of the Fifteenth Ward with a Saturday half- 
holiday jag. over the sedate, though intellec- 
tual, countenance of the lamblet. 

.And sweet little Mary with her dog-eared 
primer and her dinner basket, kissing her 
mother and setting ofT down the pike for 
school, the lamblet a respectful distance, fol- 
lowing sheepishly. 

Oh, the love, the devotion, the gratitude of 
beasts and how miserably we repay them ! 

.'\nd the little Mary in after years, when 
that lamb had become an adult, smacking her 
lips over that sheep's breaded chops, no rain 
fell from the water-sheds of her eye; no sigh 
welled up from the artesian depths of her 
heart. .So soon are we forgotten ; so soon 
docs Ma draw Pa's insurance money when he 
is gone. 



The father of Columbus, discovering that 
his son and heir was phosphating his upper 
lip with a top dressing for spring growth of 
moustache, the thought occurred to him that 
the lad's future must now be provided for. 

He said to the partner of his joys and of 
his macaroni: "Shall we make a dude of 
Christeforo to reel olY tape at the bargain 
counter, or shall he be an organ grinder and 
play 'Comrades' and 'Maggie Murphy's 
Ilome' ? 

"Shall we make of him a bookmaker at 
Coney Island or at Sheep's Head Bay, the 
proprietor of an all-nitdit peatnit roaster, or a 
religious editor and a member of the Law and 
Order Society of Pittsburg?" 

"Let us leave it to his own inclination, for 
as the twig is bent so climbelh the monkey. " 
replied the mother. 

"Well said." replied Domoinco. "we will 
leave him alone with a winter apple, a copv 
of the New Testament, and a Bland eighty- 
nine-cent .Vmerican dollar. 

"If, upon our return, we find him eating 
the apple, he shall be an agriculturist, and who 
knows but that some day he may run for 
president on the ticket of' the Farmers' Alli- 
ance with sockless Terry Simpson. If. upon 
Hie other hand, wx- find him immersed in the 
New Testament, we sha'l make a priest or a 
friar of him, and he may rise to be Pope or 
secure the red hat of a cardinal. 

"But if we should discover him admiring 
the buzzard dollar, then he shall be a banker. 
and some day may be secretary of the treasurv 
or the cashier of a bank, and go to Canada 
with the depositors' money." 

The youthful Columbus was thus left alone 
upon a legal holiday. Upon the return of his 
parents to the homestead, he was found as 
happy as a Long Island clam on a flood tide 
and seated upon the Holy Book. In the one 
hand, miser-like, he was clutching the de- 
graded dollar, while with the other he was 
going down on the winter apple. 

The wretched father, in his indignation and 
disgust, exclaimed: '"Mrs. Columbus, this 
boy is a hog. We will make a politician of 
him." 

Notwithstanding that the lad earnestly pre- 
ferred to become part of the battery of a 
League Base Ball team at the voluptuous 
salary of one million doubloons per season of 
twenty weeks, he was articled as an appren- 
tice to the Hon. Patrick Opaque and the Hon. 
Jeremiah Oblique, a local politician combine 
then running the Fourth Ward in partner- 
ship, to be brought up to the noble and disin- 
terested profession of practical politics. So 
apt a pupil did Columbus prove that in less 
than three years' time, by packing a ward con- 
vention and bribing an elector to raise the 



376 



Pciuisyk'aitia and Its Public Men. 



cry of fire, thus creating; a panic and empty- 
ing the liall of the delegates of the other side. 
he was able to turn down the Hon. Patrick 
Opaque and the Hon. Jeremiah Oblique, who 
had taught him all he ever knew of politics, 
and get the control of the ward in his own 
hands. 

This base exhibition of ingratitude on the 
part of Columbus, my fellow members of the 
Chamber of Commerce, constitutes a blotch 
on his fair escutcheon, and I cannot allow 
it to pass without saying that it meets with 
my unqualified disap]3robation, as well as that 
of the Reform Club of Havre de Grace. 

The subsequent flight of Columbus to power 
and wealth was now rapid and meteoric. He 
became a boss — a boss who winked the other 
eye and said with William Tweed : "The 
world is my oyster ; I will open it." Tweed, 
I might add, not only opened the oyster, but 
he opened the doors of Ludlow Street Jail, as 
well. Columbus became a member of the gas 
trust, participating in the secret drawbacks of 
coal, and a contractor for cleansing the streets 
by machinery. He made members of the leg- 
islature and the city councils, and chalked 
their hats, a term in politics fully understood 
by those who have been there. It was his 
wont to lock himself in a secluded room, oft- 
times going to a watering place for that pur- 
pose, where the political reporters could not 
find him and the candidates could not reach 
him, and there make the "slates" for the 
county offices, taking his toll from the salaries 
and the fees thereof. He went into grabs for 
electric trusts, water meters, garbage incin- 
erating schemes, and, in fact, any sort of a 
public franchise that could be collared in the 
legislature or in city councils. He also held 
a fair for the benefit of the Standard Oil 
Company, swiping the proceeds. 

It was at this period of Columbus" insolence 
and power that he shocked the moral sensi- 
bilities of the nation with his famous expletive 
with which his name is indissolubly asso- 
ciated to tjiis later day : "Take home a Fried 
in a Box." In ten years' time he had made 
his pile, besides piles for some other fellows. 
He then announced his retirement from poli- 
tics, and, beseeching the good Lord to sponge 
his sins from the heavetdy blackboard, he 
became a pillar and an elder in the Dutch 
Reformed Church. 

The tender passion enslaving the retired 
politician and future navigator, he fell in love 
with the humble, though lovely, daughter of 
a manufacturer of lamp-black. 

They did not go to Camden to wed, as is 
now the mode, for the reason that there were 
no Camden marriages at that time. The 
clergy then took a higher view of matrimony 
than is concentrated in a dollar bill, and did 



not have cab drivers in their pay stationed 
at the ferry slips to run children from other 
States to their marriage mills. 

The happy pair went to housekeeping on 
Columbus' olive plantation, he having enough 
of this world's goods to keep him in garlic 
and fine cut to his latter days, if abstaining 
from poker. In passing I would mention that 
Columbus had two younger brothers. Bar- 
tolomo was the name of one: Gascomo of 
the other. If he had a sister I do not think 
he knew it. Many a fellow has a sister and 
never finds it out until his father's will comes 
to be probated and another mamma turns up. 
Bartolomo was appointed by Columbus on the 
police force, while Gascomo, who was the 
more brilliant of the two, was elected to the 
legislature from the shoe-string district of 
the city of Genoa, and arose to the giddy 
height of chairman of the Committee on 
Ways and Means ; also, to the leadership of 
the party of the Extreme Left. 

The party of the Extreme Left, my es- 
teemed friends, is found in every legislative 
body the world over. Its special function 
seems to be invariablv to be left when the 
watermelon is cut. and at the end of the 
session to walk home, whether the walking be 
good, bad, or indifferent. While thus leading 
the peaceful and contented lot of a husband- 
man, declining twice to be the standard 
bearer of his party for overseer of the poor 
and county commissioner, the mind of Colum- 
bus remained active and a latent inventive 
genius, which was not suspected by his cred- 
itors, became singularly developed. At 27 he 
invented the horse blanket. A year later he 
wrote the Springer Horizontal Tariff Bill, 
with incidental orotection to old maids. Then 
came his great boon to the theological world — 
the clergyman's corkscrew. Were his name 
to be unassociated with that of any other 
achievement on the scroll of fame, the clergy- 
man's corkscrew alone would send it thunder- 
ing down the echoless corridors of time. But 
Columbus did more. Well may we hail this 
man as the benefactor of his race, whose 
blessing will shine like a star of the azure 
robe of night to unknown and gambolerich 
generations in the countless ages to come. 
He was the inventor of the jack pot. This 
fact seems to have escaped in some way the 
attention of his biographers. Colonel Bowie, 
whose brain devised the Bowie knife, perished 
by the device of his own genius. Dupont, the 
inventor of gunpowder, was blown into the 
great goneness by a premature explosion of 
his own powder, and was never again seen 
at the polls. Archibald Brown, the inventor 
of Jamaica Ginger, is said to have passed 
away from an overdose ti his own ginger, 
which he had taken to neutralize the effects of 



r'ciinsvk'niiia and Its Public Men. 



377 



associating Sunday-sciiool ice cream with a 
cucumber of business activity. 

And so with Cohmibus. The invention of 
the jack pot rcvokitionized the game of poker 
as it was at this epoch played. It can also 
be stated as a questionable historical fact, for 
the benefit of the deacons and elders who 
may be present, that the flushes, the side 
dishes of poker, were at this time unknown. 
The Hon. Patrick Opaque and the Hon. Jere- 
miah Oblique, with that subtile cunning and 
that desire for revenge inherent in the Latin 
race, saw in the jack pot an opportunity for 
that retaliation for which they had been lying 
in the high grass for several seed times and 
harvests. Under the pretense of seeking his 
views as to the expediency of a<lvising the 
governing power to call an extra session of 
the legislature to repeal the tax on dogs, the 
two played-out politicians sought Columbus. 
From politics the conspirators adroitly and 
insidiously led the unsuspecting Italian to the 
subject of his discovery of the jack pot. .\ 
game was proposed. The limit was placed at 
five dollars with nothing for the kitty. For 
three days and for three nights did this game 
continue. All previous records for continuous 
sittings were smashed. Columbus saw his 
cash in the draw-er, his bank balance, his mort- 
gages, his ground rents, his preferred stock in 
the I. C. and U. C. his plantation and its 
growing crops, together with his Metropolitan 
Traction stock, all swallowed — all absorbed 
by one fatal jack pot after another. Still his 
Pizen Creek nerve did not desert him, al- 
though his luck had. There was one more 
chance to retrieve his sinking and desperate 
fortune. 

The cards were dealt. Columbus stood pat. 
The Hon. Patrick Opaque led the grand march 
to the pot. Columbus, cool as a mould of 
water ice. nervy as a lightning rod peddler, 
confident in the invincibility of his own hand, 
put his wife in the pot. She was the only 
property, real or personal, alas! that he had 
left. He called the Hon. Patrick Opaque. 
But why. brothers and sisters, should I pursue 
that last and fateful jack pot to the bitter, 
wretched end? 

Columbus, penniless, a wanderer on the 
face of the earth, a grass widower, fled from 
the game amid the jeers of the Hon. Patrick 
Opaque and the Hon. Jeremiah Oblique, to a 
neighboring pharmacy. 

"I will go down into the dark and silent 
sarcophagus." thought he, '"since I am broke 
and life no longer worth the living, winter 
wheat bringing but forty-five cents a bushel, 
laid down at the elevator. Give me Rough on 
Rats", he cried to the pharmaceutical clerk. 
He invested a plugged dime, his last, in a 
through ticket with no stop-over privileges. 



good for one continuous passage, as he 
thought, by that popular and expeditious sui- 
cidal trunk route. 

Making a hasty, though a pick-i-nickish 
sort of a meal on the supposed Rough on 
Rats, he sat down neath the umbrageous 
branches of a weeping willow tree and awaited 
the coming of the Stygian boatman with the 
placidity of a kangaroo and the composure 
of a fourth class postmaster at the begin- 
ning of a new administration. Had not the 
pharmaceutical clerk fortunately blundered 
and given the wretched Columbus a frog in 
the throat, the war-whoop of the Delawares or 
the Iroquois, the hungry howl of the cata- 
mount, the roar of the chii^munk. and the 
plaintive notes of the whip-poor-will would 
be echoing to-night through the primival for- 
ests and virgin jungles upon the site on which 
this State house is reared. 

Before the conclusion of this lecture a col- 
lection will be taken up for a monument to 
the memorv of this lowly and obscure drug 
clerk, to wdiom we owe so much for the dis- 
covery of America. .As an impartial critic 
and as a friend of Mr. Columbus, I am com- 
pelled to admit that in this poker transaction 
he appears as a pale gray and adolescent ass. 
I have now sketched crudely and somewhat 
hurriedly the career of the great Italian as a 
boy, as an apprentice, as a boss politician, and 
as an inventor. If I have not been historic- 
ally accurate in some statesments the audience 
can rest assured that I have been about as near 
right as the bulk of his biographers. We shall 
now pass to the more stirring and memorable 
pages of his career, observing him as a bucca- 
neer under the black flag of piracy and under 
which he received his lessons in cutting off 
the noses and slitting the ears of the natives 
of the .Antilles; then as the advance agent 
of his proposed expedition of discovery, im- 
portuning kings for ships and men, and then 
finally hoisting sail to plough the unknown 
abysses of the Atlantic, where greater 
triumphs awaited him than befell .Alexander 
the Great or Xapoleon P)onaparte. and where 
he emblazoned his name upon the imperish- 
able scroll of fame, completing a galaxy of 
four immortal names whose deeds will live in 
song and story as long as thunder continues 
to sour milk, and a Democrat remains to vote 
the straight ticket: Columbus, w-ho discov- 
ered the new world: Colonel McClure. the dis- 
coverer of -Abraham Lincoln : Grover Cleve- 
land, whose discovery in the twilight of the 
nineteenth century that a public office is a 
public trust, when mankind since the days of 
the Pharoahs had regarded it as a private 
snap, and the country gentleman of England 
who gave to human kind the discovery of 
Worcester sauce. 



378 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



The temporal affairs of the ex-gentleman of 
Genoa had now reached a crisis. Where 
shonld he go? What should he do? We are 
tdld that his powerful mind was consjested by 
the voice of a variety of occupations; that he 
contemplated the career of a humorous lectur- 
er, giving a chromo with each admission ; then 
again, like Dick Turoin, of "taking to the 
road" and slitting the throats of travelers, de- 
priving them of their purses; then, again, of 
liecoming a country editor and accepting 
pumpkins, artichokes, and lima beans for sub- 
scriptions. Then a mercantile life bethought 
he of. He would enter some wholesale store 
or counting house, ask for a job, the same time 
stooping to pick up a pin, thus attracting the 
attention of the firm; be employed like a good 
little boy in the story-book; rise to a partner- 
ship, and eventually become the head of the 
house, all on the capi'.-»l of a way-faring pin. 
But his mind was drawn irresistibly in the 
direction of the "sea, the sea, the ever free," 
by the fond recollections of the schooners lad- 
ened with beer he had descried as a boy on 
his father's bar. A sailor he would be. 

Thus with the sea in view he made his way 
by his own locomotion, which was then the 
fashionable means of conveyance, as it is 
now at times, to the port of Venice, then the 
proud and opulent mistress of the Mediter- 
ranean. Columbus was now 30 years of age, 
and smoked cigarettes. He also rolled his 
panls up when the weather was unpropitious 
in London. Like an inspiration from heaven, 
the remembrance came to him from his boy- 
hood day's that he had an uncle — not in a 
pawn-broking sense — an uncle, my fellow plu- 
tocrats, to whom his family had long pointed 
with pride, and who had a reputation for 
ferocity and pillage as a corsair and a pirate 
such as has illuminated the pages of no dime 
novel that we have ever seen. The name of 
this disreputable person was Colombo. He 
had a son, Colombo the younger, who could 
give the old man aces and beat him, which is 
frequently the case with sons, who was a 
ship scuttler and a throat slitter, and whose 
atrocities on land and sea knocked the fiddling 
of Nero at the burning of Rome, into a 
cocked hat, so to speak. Fernado, the natural 
son of the discoverer, and his historian, speaks 
thus of this blood-letting relative. That his 
deeds against the infidels were so terrible that 
the Moorish mothers used to frighten their 
unruly children by the mere mention of his 
name; that they would say to them, "Hush, 
here comes the bogie man." It will thus be 
seen that Co'ombo was the original bogie man. 
.•\t Venice Columbus made inquiry for these 
maritime rascals who could lick their weight 
in wild cats, having determined to adoot the 
pirate business for a livelihood. Luck favored 



him. The elder Colombo was in port. He 
welcomed his relative, after the latter had 
established lis identity by means of a birth- 
mark, and shipped him on his caraval in the 
capacity of cabin boy. At the time he was 
waiting for a custom-house clearance for a 
voyage to Mozambique, where the pirate in- 
tended to rob and exterminate a peaceful 
colony of alleged infidels who were residing 
there and minding their own business. On 
the passage out the cook having, as it seems, 
choked to death inadvertently, our hero, after 
a civil service examination, was promoted to 
the responsible and onerous vacancy. The 
Mugwump papers of the time upon learning 
of the appointment, commented upon it in 
terms of commendation and praise. Columbus 
returned from this expedition, in which he 
had fought like a Lousiana tiger, in charge 
of the dog watch or the watch dog. He fig- 
ured for several great suns as a pirate of 
the Mediterranean, but not with such success 
as to become the hero of a dime novel. His 
son, the historian, tells us but little of his 
dad's exploits as a freebooter and a corsair. 
He then made a voyage to Iceland for a cargo 
of ice. It is fair, ladies and gentlemen, to 
state that many authorities, including the edi- 
tors of our leading comic papers, dispute that 
Columbus ever made this passage. From an 
examination of all the facts, however, pro 
and con, and particularly con, I am led to 
infer that he did. While his vessel was in 
Iceland taking in its cargo of ice, Columbus 
made the acquaintance of a sad sea do,g in a 
sailor's boarding-house, who told him of the 
discovery of a Western continent by the 
X'orthman 400 years prior. It can be stated 
with great positiveness, that it was there that 
Columbus got his tip that we were here. 

Dr. Winslow, the author of "Ta-ra-ra 
Boom De-Aye," and the discoverer of Mrs. 
Winslow's soothing syrup, devotes an entire 
chapter in his admirable work, the "History 
of Columbus," which may be found in all our 
leading junk shops, to the subject, saying: 
"It is probable enough that he would hear in 
Iceland of the Irish monks and their follow- 
ers, who had been found in Ireland by the 
first Norse visitors 600 years before, and 
these traditions, perhaps, included rumors of 
a country somewhere, which they called Ire- 
land the Great." It may surprise the Know 
Nothings and the native Americans in my au- 
dience to thus learn that America was origi- 
nally named Ireland, and that it was discov- 
ered through the enterprise of our Irish fel- 
low citizens. I have known the Irish for a 
good many years, and in all my recollection I 
have never known them to buy a lot that was 
under water, or to go bobbing for eels when 
a nomination was to be made. 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



379 



Columbus returned to Italy fired with the 
ambition of rediscovering Great Ireland. He 
had now become tolerably proficient in navi- 
gation, lie could splice the main brace, and 
cuss like Bill Kemble. But like myself he was 
wealthy only when he had a jag. Although 
penniless he was haunted with the desire of 
equipping an expec'ition to sail into the mystic 
and (Ireaded reaches of the Atlantic in quest 
of the lost continent. He applied to the 
boards of trade, to corporations, land com- 
panies, geographical societies, to individual 
firms and to tariff barons of one city after 
another, but without avail. Finally he decided 
to take a cold plunge and go to headquarters, 
seeking the crowns themselves. He was ad- 
vised by them to read Senator Allen's fifteen- 
hour speech on free silver, or to try the 
Keely Gold Cure. 

The era of modern discovery, may it please 
the court, had begun long before the seed of 
the idea of branching out in that particular 
branch of business had sprouted in either the 
cerebrum or the cerebellum of this man whose 
fame the world was destned to ring later. 
Little Portugal under Prince Henry was fill- 
ing those nations of the earth, which had ^it 
using their fingers for knives and forks, with 
wonder and aina^'ement by her discoveries on 
the ciiast of .Afv.ca, which dark continent up 
to that tune had remained so dark it had not 
yet been seen. This illustrious prince knew 
his business far better than Columbus knew 
his. As a geographer he was several miles 
and furlongs ahead of him. Indeed, history 
k'lows him as the father of modern discovery. 
He was animated by the grand idea that by 
circumnavigating Africa a direct and easy 
route would be opened to India and that the 
fabulous wealth of that fabled land could be 
turned in a golden stream into his own be- 
loved country. Of course he was regarded as 
a man having a screw loose, as are all men 
w^o run ahead of the schedule time of the 
world. But he passed in his checks like a 
gentleman, leaving his Oriental idea a fi.xed 
charge upon his empire, and years after Vasco 
de Gama realized it by doubling the Cape of 
Good Hope, thus opening up a hiehway to the 
opulent regions of the East. 

Lisbon was the scat of this new world-find- 
ing activity. From its quays royal expedi- 
tions were constantly putting forth to starch 
for land, treasure and adventure. It was the 
golden era for dTscovery, and each year the 
map of the world was receiving valuable ad- 
ditions. It was but natural, then, that the am- 
bitious Italian should apply to so generous a 
patron of discovery as King John, who was 
then holding a full band in the temporal af- 
fairs of Portugal. He took up a residence in 
Lisbon. He got a new wife. He got natura- 



lized and he appeared to have got the small- 
pox. Happily he recovered or else we would 
have been under the necessity of being found 
by some one else — probably by John D. Rocke- 
feller or Theodore Roosevelt. While in Lis- 
bon, Columbus does not appear to have made 
any attempt to get on the police force or to 
start a daily paper. He was still imbued 
with the idea of sailing west and finding 
India. I have been imbued, myself, to sail 
west and have found India pale ale. He ob- 
tained an audience with King John and at- 
tempted to enlist the sympathies, or rather 
the patronage, and the doubloons of the 
crown. He laid before his royal jagulets the 
old, old story. Now the king' was as fleet of 
foot after a corner lot as a land boomer in 
Oklahoma or the Cherokee Strip, while the 
mere thought of a gold mine made him act like 
a visitor to Marcus Hook who had put grass 
in his whisky. He admitted to Columbus that 
he had a good thing. He w^as more than half 
persuaded to bite at the cheese. Being an ex- 
pert card man, and having some knowledge 
of the turf he inquired the size of the ante. 
It was the rectilineal and longitudinal meas- 
urement of the ante that caused the king ro 
blow his whistle and pull the gang-plank in. 
The beggarly navigator bad attempted to ex- 
act such princely conditions for himself for 
graft that the king stood aghast. He dis- 
missed Columbus with the benediction. In the 
years thereafter, when Columbus had lifted 
the veil, so to speak, from the epidermis of 
the new world and for the immediate benefit 
of Ferdinand, King John's hated rival, the 
latter besought the keeper of the great seal, 
as a special mark of roval favor, to kick hini 
under the royal coattails in order to remind 
him what a contemptous worm he was to have 
kicked the Italian dreamer and his Utopian 
scheme from off the royal front stoop. Had 
brother Columbus here displayed less of the 
porcine and more of the help-your-neighbor 
quality, King John would have given him his 
expedition. His whereabouts, after his failure 
and departure from Lisbon, like the identifi- 
cation of the man who hit King Richard the 
Third, as he was shouting for a horse, with a 
tomato, are involved in doubt. Irving says 
that we are permitted to catch but shadowy 
glimpses of him. The glimpses that Irving 
caught of him at all were principally shadowy, 
but that did not deter him from writing a 
book about him in three volumes. The proba- 
bilities are, however, that he proceeded to the 
Ponce de Leon Hotel at Jacksonville, Florida. 
where he was able to secure a room with a full 
ocean view, at a rate of $20 ner moment. 

Isabella and Ferdinand w-ere at this juncture 
directing the twin thrones of Spain and Castile 
by a partnership arrangement. Every mar- 



380 



Pennsxlvauia and Its Public Men. 



ried man will know what that means, and that 
Ferdinand was the silent partner. Isabella, I 
may venture to remark for the benefit of those 
elders and church deacons who may have been 
attracted to our show under the impression 
that there is a ballet, had the reputation of a 
dead game sport throughout. Continental 
Europe and portions of Xew Jersey. She had 
but recently revived the crinoline, which had 
been extinct since the fall of Babylon. She 
had just approved the act reaffirming the con- 
stitutionality of the act making castile soap 
a legal tender. At the previous election she 
had presented herself at the polls insisting that 
her vote should be taken just like a mere man's, 
thus having conceived the idea of woman suf- 
frage. The poet laureate had just dedicated 
a song to her entitled, "There goes Isabella 
with her gingham umbrella." And lastly, it 
was understood in royal circles that she it 
was who broke the bank at Monte Carlo. The 
reputation of Isabella as a patron of the liberal 
arts induced Columbus to push his low water 
fortune at this throne. He struck Spain, un- 
fortunately, at an unpropitious epoch. It is 
true that it was not a presidential year, nor 
was the gold ring of London or Wall Street 
squeezing the business interests in order to 
influence congress to repeal the silver purchas- 
ing act. Isabella and her husband were about 
to chastise the Moors because they did not 
worship the Almighty as they desired them to 
do. Therefore, they had neither the time nor 
the inclination to bother with Columbus and 
his new world ; the Moors and the old world 
concerned them more. They wanted to grab 
as much of the old turf as was within sight, 
not caring for the new turf that was out of 
sight. But our adventurer contrived to make 
influential friends who insisted that he should 
be heard for his cause, and the throne at last 
reluctantly yielded. It sent the petitioner be- 
fore a council of the learned men of the king- 
dom, promising to abide by its finding. This 
council which had a place in history, was con- 
vened at Salamanca, and was composed of 
clericals, astronomers, geographers and poli- 
ticians. After a prolonged sitting, which at- 
tracted the attention of all Europe, it finallv 
decided in its wisdom that the Columbus 
theory, that the world was round, and which 
he had maintained with extraordinary elo- 
quence, logic and vehemence was an anti- 
quated joke that had been socked to an un- 
suspecting world in the glacial period, by Bill 
Nye. The council reaffirmed its adhesion to 
the buckwheat cake form, or that the earth 
was flat. The council could hardly be par- 
doned for this iudgment, however, since the 
predecessors of its members had believed it to 
resemble a porter house steak that was held in 
space by resting on the back of a rattlesnake, 



which, in turn, reposed upon a land tortoise. 
The structural weakness of this last named 
theory was that it was not positively established 
what the land tortoise reposed upon. Prob- 
ably it was the back of Theodore Roosevelt. 
After the judgment had been pronounced 
against him the majestic figure of Columbus 
arose, and amid a silence as deep as that ob- 
served by certain State Senators, whom we 
might name, addressed the council with that 
dignity and scorn which sat so well upon him : 
— "My learned peers, I shall read you an ex- 
tract from the writings of Socrates sustain- 
ing the position I have taken that the earth 
is round, not so much for the purpose of con- 
vincing this learned body of the correctness 
of that theory, as to show you what a damned 
fool Socrates was." 

I shall not worry you with a recital of the 
trials and tribulations of Columbus at the 
court of Spain. So occupied were the Spanish 
monarchs with the expulsion of the iVIoors, 
that for some years they positively couldn't 
spare the time to renew the negotiations, which 
the judgment of the council at Salamanca 
■had broken of¥. Whenever he would call he 
would be discouraged by this notice upon the 
ofroe door — "This is our busy day." They 
told him to drop around, however, when the 
cruel war was over. But he had grown ut- 
terly weary of the caprices of princes. The 
weight of the scientific and political authority 
of the nation was inimical to him. His trolley 
was ofl^, speaking in a sordid monetary sense, 
and he finally foresaw that if he wasted any 
more time in those diggin's that he would 
either have to put in an appearance at a soup 
house, or run for congress as a prohibitionist. 
Crushed in spirit, but, like Grant, determined 
to fight it out on that line if it took all sum- 
mer, he turned his face from the Spanish 
court, as he supposed, forever, and with his 
motherless son set forth for the city of Palos, 
where he had a powerful friend — one, Martin 
Alonzo Pinzon, the head of a family of rich 
and experienced navigators, celebrated for 
their adventurous expeditions. 

W'hen half a league from Palos he was com- 
pelled to apply at a convent gate for refresh- 
ments for the famished and foot-sore lad. 
Had he continued his journey the probabil- 
ities are that Spain would have forgotten him 
and that his caravels would never have 
flecked the turbulent waters of the Atlantic. 
It is upon such trifling incidents as this that 
the fate of nations sometimes hangs and the 
course of history is diverted. Within those 
gray convent walls this indomitable spirit 
found a staunch and unexpected friend. It was 
the prior. He gave him succor and becom- 
ing interested in his distinguished appearance, 
which his rags could not conceal, he soon 



Pciiiisxh'aiiia and Its Public Men. 



381 



learned his fateful story. He was struck with 
the grandeur of his views, the boldness of his 
project, the charm of his manners and the 
confidence of his language and was alarmed 
that such an important enterprise should he 
lost to Spain. The prior won over to the 
scheme soon had the convent the scene of 
palavers, which were participated in by in- 
fluential men. ^lartin .Monzo Pinzon among 
others became so convinced of the plausibility 
of the scheme that land could be found by sail- 
ing west, that he ottered to engage in an ex- 
pedition with Columbus, supplying a ship 
which he himself would provision, equip and 
command. It was determined that negotia- 
tions with the court should i)c reopened. These 
were so successful that the queen, who was 
still the managing partner, sent for the prior, 
who managed the case with such tact and abil- 
ity that in the end the Italian was directed 
to repair to the court for the purpose of talk- 
ing business. From the first appearance of 
Columbus at the Spanish court he had exer- 
cised a singular and magnetic influence over 
Isabella, who had a soft side for good looking 
men who flirted. She wired him $2.16 and a 
nuile with which to make the journey. But 
the characteristic avarice of the navigator 
upset the negotiations, as had been the case 
with Portugal. His principal stipulation was 
that he should be invested with the title and 
privileges of admiral and viceroy over the 
countries he should discover, with one-tenth 
of all gains, whether by trade or concpiest. 
There was a pow-erful clique at the court, led 
by Cardinal Mendoz, who was known as the 
third king of Spain, which vehemently op- 
posed any recognition of our hero because he 
was a foreigner, and particularly gagged at 
conferring the roval rank of an admiral upon 
an alien. Columbus was quick to realize that 
the jig was up. Bidding adieu to the court, 
he called for his mouse-colored mule and 
turned its scholarlv and pensive countenance 
in the direction of the shimmering sea. He 
had determined to forsake Spain and to apply 
for aid to the King of France. The failure 
of the negotiations filled the minds of certain 
influential politicians of Spain with dismay, 
they fearing that Columbus would meet with 
■more success elsewhere. This was singular, 
too, since he had not promised them a rake- 
ofY either in cash or stock. Lois de St. .Angel 
espoused the cause of the forlorn Italian and 
expatiated with such force, eloquence and 
audacity before Isabella that she was con- 
strained to .send for the king and inform him 
that, like the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 
she had determined to reverse herself and in 
the name of her half of the kingdom, to say 
to Columbus — "Go west, young man, go west." 
And this she did, for Isabella, although 



she liked her King William high-balls, w-as 
after all a truni]). I will say in passing that 
this is' not the first or the last time that a 
queen has taken a king. I saw a queen take 
a king in the back room of a hotel a few blocks 
down the street a night or two ago. But there 
was one thing that stood in the way of the 
project. This something has stood between 
myself and the owner of a steam yacht — 
cash. 

Isabella pleaded that the country was poor, 
having been ravished by war. pestilence and 
the mosquitoes. The bull fights had been 
drawins.' miserable houses of late; the Whig 
party was threatening to rip up and exter- 
minate, smash and annihilate the tariff, and 
the mills had shut down. The enforced pur- 
chase by the government of silver bullion for 
storage purposes, moreover, had turned everj' 
old stocking in the country into a saving 
bank, thus precipitating a currency famine, 
while the civil service reform, which had been 
inqjorted from the pagaiis of China had thrown 
half the politicians of the empire out of a job. 
Isabella then gave an exhibition of womanly 
sacrifice that will imperishably link her name 
with that of the immortal Columbus. She pro- 
posed to put her jewels in hock. For the in- 
formation of the ladies present, I will say that 
she was not permitted to do so. Lois de St. 
Angel, who in this connection appears truly 
as a ministering angel said that rather tlran see 
the pawn-broker called in he would advance 
the funds, which he did. Before the lecture is 
concluded the members of the Law and Order 
Committee will pass among the audience for 
subscriptions for a monument that I propose to 
erect to the memory of the late Mr. St. Angel. 
While this momentous and fateful scene was 
transpiring at the Spanish court in Sante Fe, 
Columbus and his mule were wending their 
weary way over the mountains miles away. 
They were passing through the famous pass 
of Pines when they were overtaken by a royal 
courier. He was torn with doubts, he was 
racked with despair. .After .some reflection, 
he said, "I shall leave it to the judgment of 
this gentle and guileless mule. I shall stand 
the philoso[)hic annual directly across the 
roadway and placing myself at its business 
end. shall say in a conservative tone of voice, 
'Gee up.' If it turn in the direction of Santa 
Fe, we will go back. If it turn in the other 
direction we shall continue on our journey, 
putting our trust in heaven." It is needless 
for me to explain in which direction this noble 
quadruped turned. It is remarkable that the 
discoverv of the new world should have 
thus hinged upon the judgment of a forlorn 
mule in the solitudes of the Spanish moun- 
tains. At the conclusion of the lecture a col- 
lection will be taken up for a monument to 



382 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



ihis noble mule. Columbus got to Sante Fe 
much quicker than the Union Army got to 
Richmond. Much quicker than the railroads 
accepted the two-cent per mi'e rate law. He 
was received by the queen with the deference 
that is generally paid to a new boarder. All 
his stipulations, which had been previously re- 
jected, were now readily agreed to. No man 
knew better how to take care of No. I than 
Christopher Columbus, Esq., and he had all 
put down in black and white. He was cre- 
ated a high lord admiral of Spain, with the 
title to descend to his heir and assigns, and 
also made a viceroy and a captain-general. He 
was invested with a one-tenth interest in the 
business. King Ferdinand at once plunged 
into the enterprise copiously and enthusiastic- 
ally. 

He said to the new lord admiral, "When 
you leave Palos, I'll be with you. When you 
pass out of the Narrows, bidding good-bye 
to castile soap and our own beloved Spain, 
with its monkeys and hand-organs, I'll be with 
you. But when you arrive at Sandy Hook, 
may God be with you." Columbus now found 
himself in the position of the man with an 
elephant on his hands. 

After i8 years of poverty, contumely and 
importunity and the constant pursuit of a 
hobby, Columbus now had in his inside pocket 
at last, the authority to go down to the sea 
in ships and sail westward, and at the ex- 
pense of Spain. Although the crown com- 
manded that he be given ships, and that its 
subjects should man the ships, yet there was 
a reluctance, a hold back, a reserve, as it 
were, on the part of both owners and seamen 
to embark with a lunatic or a hippv to pene- 
trate the unknown abysses of the dreaded .At- 
lantic. Three months elapsed before the ex- 
pedition, a squadron of three tubs, was pre- 
Iiared for sea. Two of the tubs and their sea- 
men had been obtained by impressment and at 
the expense of riots and tumults. I shall not 
enter into a description of these alleged ships 
except to say that their names were the Santa 
Maria, the Nina and the Pinta. I should not 
have cared to cross a mill pond in anv of them 
in the teeth of a forty-knot gale. The Santa 
Maria flew the colors of the admiral and was 
the only one that boasted a deck. 

On Friday, August 3, 1492, an hour before 
sunrise, the little fleet sailed out of the port 
of Palos on the most eventful voyage of the 
Christian era. No cannon boomed as the sails 
filled and the squadron filed away; no flags 
floated in the free and unfettered air; no joy- 
ous crowds stood upon the quays to buoy the 
hearts of the mariners with cheers; no steam 
tugs pursued them with bands and roystering 
blades. Upon the contrary, the gloom that 
hung over the port was so thick that the 



sailors could cut it with their sheath knives. 
There were tears and wails and distress and it 
was Friday. Those on shore believed they 
were looking upon the ships for the last time, 
and the fellows on the ships were whistling, 
"and he never came back." On the third day 
out the Pinta hoisted signals of distress. Her 
rudder was discovered to be broken and un- 
hung. Seized from reluctant owners and 
manned by a shanghaied crew Columbus saw 
that the vessel had been purposely disabled 
that it might be left behind. This incident 
put the watchful navigator upon his guard. 
But it filled him with doubt and foreboding. 
It was the first time he had been full since 
he started — full of doubt and foreboding. The 
fleet put into the Grand Canaries in the 
teeth of a gale that blew the sheet anchor 
into the fore top and required four men to 
hold the admiral's hair on his head. The 
Canaries were the farthermost out-post of 
terra-firma to the West then known to civil- 
ized man. This famous group, the Fortunate 
Islands of the ancients in which they placed 
their garden of the Hesperides and from 
whence Ptolemy commenced to count tiie 
longitude, had long been lost to the world. 
It was not until the 14th century that they 
were affectionately rediscovered and restored 
to mankind. Columbus hearing a rumor that 
King John of Portugal was looking for him 
with a fleet of caravels, armed with barking 
dogs, hastened his repairs and put to sea. As 
his unwilling crews caught the last glimpse 
of known land they blubbered like land lub- 
bers, and wanted to go home. The poor dev- 
ils, having but a few frail planks between 
them and a ravenous and an unknown sea, 
they have our unstinted praise and our hon- 
est consideration and so the succeeding thirty- 
three days of this wonderful and historic voy- 
age were days of struggles with terrified and 
superstitious men. 

The ever-changing hues of the sea, the 
shifting of the winds, the variations of the 
magnetic needle, theretofore unknown, the 
calms, the balmy fragrance of the tropical 
atmosphere, the mirages, the St. Elmo fire 
at the mast heads, the blazing meteors, the 
floating evidences of land, wood, weeds and 
birds, and yet no land, filled the mercurial 
Spaniards with terror, rebellion and despond- 
ency. Only the iron nerve, the magnificent 
resources and the superior knowledge of Co- 
lumbus prevented the collapse of the expedi- 
tion. The weather was superb, the winds 
were favorable and the ships never parted 
company. But a day finally dawned when 
the admiral was no longer, like Alex. Sel- 
kirk, monarch of all he surveyed, and more 
too. The loyal Ponzen even threw up the 
job and joined in the universal clamour that 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



383 



the sliips should |>iit back. Ldhiinhiis begged 
for twenty- four hours of g:race, agreeing 
that at the expiration of that time that if land 
was not forthcoming, he would abandon the 
enterprise. While the weary and disgusted 
sailormen believed that the sun of the follow- 
ing day would see the bowsprits of the cara- 
vels pointing in the direction of Spain, the 
observant mind of the discredited navigator 
assured him he was within a few hours' sail 
of the blessed land. A night and a day would 
tell the tale. Columbus resolved to remain 
on watch throughout the night. ;\long to- 
ward ten of the clock he raised an excite- 
ment aboard the flag ship with the astonish- 
ing assertion that he had seen moving lights 
upon the shore. When this statement was 
questioned, for he had now come to be re- 
garded by his crews as a liar drawing six 
feet and two inches of water, he called up 
the carpenter and compelled him to back up 
the assertion. Still, the men laughed in de- 
rision. 

The third mate suggested that the admiral 
had seen the blazing eyes of a sea serpent. 
The cook intimated that he more probably had 
seen two sea serpents. But to what a low 
estate had this navigator fallen — a navigator 
who couldn't navigate. A few hours later, 
at two of the morning, there was news, great 
news, glad news, bright news, on the Pinta. 

Columbus, at the time, was in the cabin of 
the Sant Maria perusing a file of the Police 
Gazette of Madrid, the gift of the Peace So- 
ciety of that town, while the cook was put- 
ting a mackerel on to soak for the breakfast. 
The monotonous swash of the sea against the 
ship's sides was broken by the discharge of 
a gun from the Pinta — the preconcerted sig- 
nal that land had been sighted. And in the 
morning, by the bright light, the land-hungry 
voyagers could discern the bare and indistinct 
outlines of a terra firma two marine leagues 
distant. 

What an instantaneous and wondrous trans- 
formation this important intelligence wrought! 
Old weather-beaten sea dogs who had re- 
fused the admiral a chew of tobacco but a 
few moments before, who had alluded to 
him as a land lubber ai.d had demanded that 
he be put in chains, or slung to the sharks, 
which had haunted the ships for weeks, 
adding to the terror of the company, now 
fell upon their knees and begged for a lock 
of hair that they might send it home by 
the next mail, or prayed that he write his 
autograph in their albums. Columbus, who 
had not employed a profane word for two 
weeks, and which was a hardship under which 
he had chafed, now swore like a Rocky 
Mountain stage driver, and knocked the ship's 
steward down with a binocular. One can 



imagine the impatience and the anxiety with 
which these pioneers of a new civilization 
awaited the coming day. Columbus had di- 
rected that his caravels should come to an- 
chor until the gray of the morn, fearing 
to approach nearer to the shore in the 
darkness lest he should run upon a sub- 
marine torpedo, or his presence be de- 
tected from the shore by means of a search 
light. When the morning came at last, there 
stretched the warm and welcome land, like 
a mother's arm reaching out for an imperilled 
child, inviting them with fragrant breath and 
a luxuriant vegetation to partake of its hos- 
pitality. The Spanish crown had ofTered a 
nnuiificent prize to the member of the ex- 
pedition whose eyes should first sight the new 
world. This was claimed by the admiral on 
the score that the lights he had professed to 
see were really the street lamps in the native 
village which the day disclosed. A dispute 
arose over the award of this honor. There 
was one Irish seaman of the expedition who 
had shipped on the Pinta. It was he who 
had first shouted out "Land," the information 
of which had been conveyed to Columbus by 
the gun of the Pinta. The name of the repre- 
sentative of the Emerald Isle was Thomas O. 
Jefferson, and all honor to his watchful eyes 
for having been the first to rediscover Great 
Ireland, which his ancestors had found six 
hundred years before. 

When Columbus returned to Spain, Thomas 
O. Jefferson remained in a responsible post 
in the colony. He subscquentlv founded the 
Democratic party. In the daylight, the most 
conspicuous object on the shore that attracted 
the attention of the Spaniards was a huge 
and towering mass of masonry. Columbus 
was at first under the impression that this 
was the tall tower of the New York Tribune. 
It was ascertained subsef|uently to be the un- 
finishe<l tower of the Philadelphia City Hall. 
The ocean gray hounds of Columbus, under a 
gentle breeze, succeeded, after some difficulty, 
in crossing a bar at mean high water, which 
obstructed the entrance to a bay of ample 
proportions and for the removal of which an 
appropriation had been made by the commit- 
tee on rivers and harbors. When within half 
a league of the land, and when Columbus was 
about to give the order to let go anchors, he 
was thrown upon his beam end by a large 
sign, a notice to mariners, erected upon the 
water front and reading: "Commercial cables; 
don't anchor opposite." The shore teemed 
with the native population. It had taken a 
day off in the hope that the visitors would 
take snap pictures of them for tlie yellow- 
journals. There being no cotton or woolen 
mills, they wore onlv blank looks of aston- 
ishment, it was a cold day, too, — for them. 



384 



Pciinsylvania and Its Public Men. 



The untutored savages believed the ships 
to be winged monsters from the stars, or 
some startling and wonderful new mechanism 
from the World's Fair at Chicago. The 
admiral, in royal state, then entered his six- 
oared gig, and followed by boats from the 
Nina and Pinta, hastened to land. When Co- 
lumbus touched the shore he fell upon his 
face and kissed the mother earth with grati- 
tude and joy. He then inquired if anybody 
could tell him where there was a gold mine ? 
He was advised to put an "ad." in the Phila- 
delphia Item. Then taking possession of all 
creation within sight, he erected, in the names 
of his Spanish employers, the cross, the sym- 
bol of the true faith. The natives were at 
first under the impression that Columbus, in 
his gorgeous and fetching attire, was either 
some sort of a celestial dude or Pierpont 
Morgan. When they learned who he really 
was and his business in their midst, he was 
promptly welcomed by Rudolph Blankenberg 
and the editor of the Public Ledger. The 
leading legislative and commercial bodies of 
the country hastened to wire him their con- 
gratulations, and the Reform Club of New 
York tendered him a clam bake. Thus was 
the discovery of the new world accomplished, 
although, I am not prepared to swear to it. 

With the details of Columbus' personal for- 
tunes, his subsequent voyages and discoveries, 
we shall not bother. He made four voyages 
in all, under the patronage of the Spanish 
crown — and then he was bounced. On the 
third voyage, at the instance of one of those 
base born spirits that grow venomous in the 
sunshine of prosperity, and whom he had 
made, he was returned to Spain in chains, 
charged with enough crime, upon conviction, 
to have given him 999 years and six months 
at hard labor in the Eastern Penitentiary. 
The indignation this act aroused in Spain 
was universal and acute. The charges were 
cast to the winds. Isabella invited the illus- 
trious navigator to a pink tea, while a depu- 
tation of citizens from Dead Man's Gulch 
presented him with a barrel of apples. The 
crown continuing its confidence, rigged him 
out with another expedition, the fourth and 
the last. It was upon this voyage that he 
discovered the island of Jamaica and strength- 
ened his false impression that Cuba, the queen 
of the Antilles, was a continent. He returned 
to Spain broken in body and disabled in mind. 
He was allowed to sink into neglect and pov- 
erty. He was turned out like an old and 
worn-out horse to die. Under his alleged 
wrongs he lapsed into a common scold, a gar- 
rulous and spiteful old man. The crown had 
cancelled and repudiated his titles, had con- 
fiscated his estates, and the miserable old man 
had nothing left except the fame the future 



might have in store for him, and the chance 
of finding Saint Peter in a good humor to let 
him into Heaven. Ferdinand believed that 
Columbus had cheated him, while Columbus 
w^ould have taken his oath that Ferdinand 
had cheated him. He delighted to tell the 
most unblushing and picturesque lies, which 
proves that he would have made an excellent 
auctioneer, as to the things he had seen and 
the things he had done in the wilds of the 
west. 

The death-bed surroundings of this man 
of destinv. whose first glimpse of the luxuri- 
ant islands of the western sea had rendered 
his name immortal, were as distressing as his 
last appeals to the ungrateful Ferdinand for 
recognition and the restoration of his wealth 
were pitiable. Christopher Columbus, L.L., 
D. ; K. B. C, ex-Admiral, ex-Viceroy, ex- 
Captain-General and ex-Governor, departed 
this life in the city of Valladolid, in obscur- 
ity and want. May 20, 1306, at the age of 70. 
Although he tore the veil from the face of the 
new world, as a navigator, he does not take 
rank with his contemporaries. His achieve- 
ments do not compare with the rounding of 
the Cape of Good Hope by Vasco de Gama, 
or the discovery of the Straits of Magellan 
by the navigator of that name. Although 
blessed with the mariner's compass and the 
sextant to shoot the sun, what a tortuous and 
worm fence of a circuit was it that he made? 
If he had sailed due west and made no devia- 
tion, his voyage would have been lessened, and 
he might have struck the mainland of Amer- 
ica. But from the Grand Canaries he re- 
turned to the South, where he saw the neigh- 
borhood heights of Cape Verde. Then turn- 
ing thence to the west, and again to the north, 
he arrived at Guarahani. 

He sailed for three years from island to 
island and from coast to coast, and attracted 
by an invisible magnetism within the circum- 
ference of past discoveries, he never saw the 
mainland of America, which was laid tempt- 
ingly before his face and seemed to open its 
bosom, inviting him to repose upon it. Co- 
lumbus discovered us on the 12th day of Oc- 
tober — by a peculiar circumstance, a Friday — 
and the next day it snowed. 

Many wonder why the name of Columbia 
was not bestowed upon this continent? Like 
Columbus, Americus Vespucia. whose name it 
bears never saw the shore of North America. 
Had real justice been done, the honor would 
have gone to the Cabots, the first of the mod- 
ern navigators to find it and open its gates to 
the nations of the old world. It is a remark- 
able thing that the name of .\merica was not 
originally applied to the whole continent, but 
onlv to tiiat portion of it now known as Brazil. 

Nor was \^espucia the first European to be- 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



385 



hold the shores of South America. Mis ex- 
plorations and writings of that half of the 
continent, however, gave him a fame more 
enduring than brass, and the name of Amer- 
ica was applied to the whole of the southern 
continent of South America, and then passed 
on to the northern, coming into general use 
after the middle of the i6th century, by the 
common consent of ail the nations of the earth. 
While Columbus was discovering the new 
world, Americus V'espucia, who was likewise 
an Italian, was selling hog cheese in the city 
of Madrid. 

The discoveries of Columbus had a wondrous 
effect upon the destinies and the civilization 
of Europe. 1,500 years of contraction, by 
the wear and loss of gold and silver between 
the reign of Augustus and the discovery of 
America, early extinguished the civilization 
of the ancients and reduced the people of 
Europe to feudal slavery. The discovery of 
gold and silver in America revived mining 
for the precious metals in the old world. 

The despairing serfs and slaves of poverty- 
stricken Europe were inspired with a cour- 
age, an enterprise, a manhood and an inde- 
pendence by the gold and silver thus produced 
for currency and the arts. A new civiliza- 
tion was created which soon rivalled and sur- 
passed the glories and luxuries of antiquity. 

Columbus was the first human being to set 
a dog on a fellow-creature in the new w-orld. 
With one solitary Boston terrier he put an 
army of natives to flight on the Island of 
Jamaica. The phrase, '"Let loose the dogs of 
war." thus originated from this incident. lie 
was the first to introduce the playful habit 
among our colored electors, of carrying 
razors. He brought to these shores the 
dreaded flea of Europe, which next to the 
fierce Xumidian lion and the wangdoodle, is 
the most formidable enemy of man and dog. 
He enjoys the distinction of being the first 
man from the time of father Adam who had 
seen a dead mule. No man has seen one 
since. 

There is a broken clog in the moral char- 
acteristic of the eminent Italian. The Church 
of Rome, despite the pressure of 400 years, 
has persistently refused to canonize him. 
And I believe it never will. As a chaser 
of the "Almighty Dollar" he beats the .Stand- 
ard Oil crowd. The Columbus whom Irving 
has so charminglv painted, and tlie Columbus 
who sailed to the West, are two wholly 
different individuals. I do not mean to in- 
sinuate that, of the latter, one of his legs 
was really longer than it really ought to 
be, but he was cruel, crafty, and deceitful. 
He exacted the blindest obedience. Know- 
ing no fear for himself, he refused to recog- 
nize the article in others. He was a hard 
26 



and driving taskmaster. He would have 
made an admirable conductor on a gravel 
train. He knocked his sailors down with be- 
laying pins. He did not hesitate to rob them 
of their wage or to deprive them of the stipu- 
lated profits of their hardships and toil. He 
bored holes in the ears of the natives and con- 
fiscated their noses because they declined to 
believe his assertion that the official residence 
of the devil was eleven thousand degrees hot- 
ter than the earth under the equator. They 
couldn't see how that was possible. He ap- 
proved of the annihilation of the native races 
of the Antilles, and their blood is upon his 
head, crying aloud for vengeance. While 
craving wealth and power, he forgot the gen- 
erosity of Spain in attaining both. He was 
a fruitful, talented and an ingenious liar. I 
have always taken a just pride in my own 
abilities in that direction, having use for it 
in my business, but I have never succeeded 
in getting lying down to the exact science that 
Columbus did. He lied atrociously to Ferdi- 
nand and Isabella. Upon his return to .Spain 
from his first voyage, he swore that he had 
discovered the mainland of America, and he 
compelled his cowled and imhappy crew to 
support him in these falsehoods. His story 
of seeing the moving lights on shore before 
land was sighted was a pure fabrication, in- 
vented to gain time, since it has been demon- 
strated that the position of his vessel, at the 
time, made it im|)ossil)lc. 

With Queen Elizabelii, he held that a "lie 
is an intellectual method of meeting a diffi- 
culty." Nor was he the original inventor of 
the theory that the world is round, which 
he claimed it to be. He was just 2,500 years 
liehind the regimental band there. The idea 
of mundane rotundity was perfectly familiar 
to the ancient Chaldeans, .\stronomers of 
other antique races taught it. Columbus, in 
prowling tiirough the misty manuscripts of 
libraries, had stumbled upon it, and had coolly 
.idopted it as his own child. Had I been called 
to have written his epitaph, I should have 
said: "Here lies Christopher Columbus. He 
never did anything else." 

If it was charitable enough to forgive him 
all his sins and manifold crimes, there would 
l)e one black page of his memory left that 
the tears of centuries could not erase. He 
was the author of human slavery in the new 
world. He established the horrible institu- 
tion in Cuba. 

From that fair isle of the sea it was brought 
to our own shore and became an integral 
part of the economic and political system 
of the United States, requiring the greatest 
war that ever shook the earth to wipe it out. 
1 do not detract from the nerve of Mr. Colum- 
bus. You may be better able to appreciate 



386 



Pennsylvania and Its Public Men. 



his nerve and the nerves of his followers 
when 1 state that the belief was universal, 
and was taught in the schools, that the tor- 
rid zone into which they proposed to sail was 
a region of impossible heat, where no vege- 
tation existed, and where the waters boiled 
as in a caldron under a vertical sun. Is it 
singular then that his seamen, leaving the 
port of Palos, should have whistled, "And 
he never came back?" We are told that he 
was a peculiar man in his tastes and appe- 
tites. He ate no pork, as he held that a man 
who did, ate his brother. His moral nature 
was not strong enough to sustain the shock 
of a glass of beer. Upon one occasion, v^dien 
being pressed to wet his lips with some gin. 
which was then the fashionable tipple, he 
remarked : "It is the finest thing in the world 
— for the inside of a rat hole." 

Columbus died in the full belief that he 
had given the world a new continent. He 
mistook Cuba for a continent. It is worth 
the mention that when he was exploring the 
coast of Cuba, that had he sailed but a few 
miles further, he would have found that it 
was a body of land entirely surrounded by 
w-ater. Of all the islands and bodies of water 
that Columbus discovered, it is a notable fact 
that hardly any even bear the name he gave 
them. For instance, he gave to the body of 
water known to geography as the Gulf of 
Mexico, the name of the North Sea. The 



island of Hayti he called Hispaniola. And so 
on. Was there such a man as Columbus ? 
Is he not a myth like William Tell and Bar- 
bara Fritchie? 

If no man can name the year in which he 
was born, if seventeen cities and boroughs 
contest for the honor of his birthplace, if he 
died unheralded and unsung, if no man can 
tell where his bones repose, Avhy not say of 
him as Betsy Prig urged against Mrs. Harris 
in Dickens, "There ain't no such person." 
Talleyrand said of the death of Napoleon, 
"It is not an event; it is only a piece of 
news." The death of Columbus, it seems, was 
not even a piece of news. 

In a church yard in the city of Macaroni, 
Italy, there stand two marble shafts. One is 
erected to the memory of Christopher Colurn- 
bus; the other perpetuates the fame of his 
great rival. The inscription upon the Colum- 
bus monument reads : 

Here I lie 
As snug as a bug 
In a rug. 

The inscription upon the tomb of Americus 
Vespucia reads: 

Here I lie, 
A great deal snugger 
Than that other hugger. 



NDEX. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 



PAGE 

Abrams. Elias 252 

Acker, A. Lincoln 106 

Adams, Joseph M 109 

Anicrman, Robert Scott 232 

Andrews, Col. Wesley R 49 

-Vndrews, Hon. William .A 273 

Bacharacli, Gustav 124 

Baker, W. Harry 187 

Baldt Brothers, The 298 

Bambrick. Thomas H 310 

Barbey, John 217 

Barchfeld, Hon. .Andrew Jackson 331 

Bartlett, Charles E 225 

Barton, William J 341 

Bear, William 1 323 

Beaston, Harry D 294 

Beaton, William F 333 

Beeber, Hon. Dimner 50 

Bell, Hon. John C 81 

Benson. William S 265 

Bcntley, Charles Alcinus 244 

Benton, Charles 61 

Bergner, Charles H 311 

Berkcy, John Albert 86 

Beyer, l-'rederick 317 

Bingham, Hon. H. II 90 

Black, Hugh 292 

Blakeley. William .\ 224 

Blewitt, Hon. Edward Francis 343 

Blum, Ralph 328 

Boney, Morris 370 

Bowman, Gen. Wendell Phillips 211 

Brady, John 326 

Brannan, Robert 98 

Brek, William 79 

Brennen, William J 221 

Briggs, James A 236 

Bringhurst, Robert R 42 

Brown, Elmer E., M.D 143 

Brown, Francis Shunk 260 



PAGE 

Brown, lion. Charles Lincoln 291 

Brown, Joseph H 354 

Brown, William Findlay 340 

Burns, Walter S 158 

Cairns, A. A., M.D 296 

Call, Joseph 278 

Calvert, Harry S 262 

Campbell, John M 357 

Carey, James A 132 

Carrigan, Peter 278 

Carroll, Mortimer F. McClcllan 245 

Carrow, Hon. Howard 300 

Carson, Hon. Hampton L 40 

Catherine, Joseph W 243 

Catlin, Hon. Sterling R 216 

Catts, Robert M 261 

('handler, Frederick T 323 

Clark, Alfred J 171 

Clay, Henry 122 

Cochran, Hon. J. Henry 66 

Cot rode, Joseph H iii 

Connell, Charles E 279 

Conncll, John 257 

Conrade, David Howard 358 

Coryell, Col. James Bingham 304 

Coylc, Hon. John J 207 

Creasy, William T 93 

Crossan, Kennedy 226 

Crow, Hon. William E 209 

Cuneo, Frederick 168 

Cunningham. Thomas \\' 318 

Davis, Edward T 53 

Davis, Howard A 185 

Davis, George 218 

Davis, Griffith T 353 

Deardon, Robert R loi 

Delancy, Capt. John C 149 

Dewalt, Hon. .Vrthur G 72 

Dillon, Maurice R 175 

Dimeling, Hon. George McClellan 191 

387 



388 



Index. 



PAGE 

Dininiick, J. Benjamin 57 

Dixon, Samuel G., M.D 70 

Donnelly, Charles P 336 

Dooner, Peter Samuel 364 

Dougherty, Hugh C 352 

Douglas, William S 277 

Drake, Henry 83 

Drury, Hon. William 199 

DuBois, Hon. James Taylor 218 

Duffcy, Patrick J 280 

Dunlap, Harry C 147 

Durham, John Wesley 302 

Dufrieville, Peter Albert 361 

Eckersley, James E 202 

Eckert, John W 176 

Ehrhardt, Frederick C 203 

Eisenbrovvn, William 153 

Elsasser, George A 52 

Fahey, Edward H., M.D 126 

Faunce, Hon. John E 68 

Faux, William J 353 

Filbert Paving & Construction Company. 166 

Finletter, Hon. Thomas Knight 366 

Flathery, James A no 

Fluck, Charles F 254 

Ford, John W 88 

Frankenfield, S. P., Sons 76 

Frazier, Col. John W 104 

Freihofer Baking Company 168 

Fuerth, Leopold 275 

Fuller, Mortimer B 351 

Funston, William H 238 

Gallagher, Christopher A 235 

Gibboney, D. Clarence 58 

Gilfillan, Joseph 67 

Gillespie, James S 172 

Gillespie, Robert 232 

Gleason, William F 180, 319 

Goll, John, & Co 333 

Gorman, Frank S 255 

Gorman, James E 335 

Gorman, Joseph F 199 

Gorman, William 350 

Grady, Hon. John C .• 131 

Griffith, David R 116 

Guffey, Col. James M 45 

Gummey, J. M., & Sons 106 



PAGE 

Haggarty, Cornelius, Jr 214 

Hagenbach, Allen W 248 

Hammond, Andrew F 165 

Hand, David Bishop, M.D 190 

Harned, Thomas B 82 

Harris, William J 269 

Harrity, William F 95 

Hart, David L 229 

Hart, David Taylor 263 

Hasskarl, Joseph F. 107 

Hatfield, Walter 369 

Hecht, Herman L 297 

Heffernan, Thomas F 291 

Heller, Hon. Henry 314 

Hershey, Christian W 164 

Hershey, Harry Landis 349 

Hershman, Col. Oliver Sylvester 170 

Hetzell, Isaac D 308 

Heustis, Charles Herbert 239 

Hicks, George W. B 100 

Hogg, Goerge K 204 

Hopple, J. Temple 310 

Horan, Hubert J 354 

Hosack, Cieorge Mechlin 213 

Hotel Hanover 302 

Houck, Hon. Henry 86 

Houck, Paul 210 

Houseman, Samuel F 312 

Howard, Josiali 345 

Huff, Hon. George Franklin 47 

Hughes, Peter J 181 

Hulings, Gen. Willis James 271 

Hulton. James 148 

Hunter, Harry 134 

Hunter, Joseph W 128 

Hutchins, Col. J. ^^'arner 309 

Hutchinson, Joseph B 98 

Hutt, Louis 206 

Irwin, Charles 180 

Jackson, I. Irwin 113 

Johnson, Charles 244 

Jones, Frank P 228 

Kayser, William 176, 322 

Keator, Hon. John F 274 

Keenan, Col. Thomas Johnston 299 

Keene, Frederick E 186 

Keller, J. E. M 132 

Kephart. Harmon M 177 



Index. 



389 



PAGE 

Kerker, William Bredeni 362 

Kerkeslager. Milton W 350 

King, Hon. Charles F 198 

King, James \V 97 

Kingston, I larry T 296 

Kinsey, Hon. John L 129 

Kistler, Samuel J 208 

Klcmnier, Joseph H 177 

Kline, ifahlcn X 246 

Kocherspcrger, George W 184 

Kniffen, Lewis B 73 

Kiilp, i Ion. Monroe H 63 

Landis, Hon. John Hcrr 65 

Lane, David H 54 

Laughlin, Samuel 282 

Lawler, Harry \' 191 

Leahy, William J 323 

Lee, Thomas A 254 

Lenahan, Hon. John T 339 

Lewis, Hon. Frederick E 162 

Lewis, Col. James 126 

Logan Coal Company 89 

Loper, Col. Richard F 270 

Lukens, William H. R 230 

Lynett, Edward J 159 

MacFarland, Thomas W 355 

Mackey, Harry A 120 

Magee, Hon. William A i iS 

Magee, William Addison 163 

Mann, Charles X 293 

Manning, Acheson M 344 

Martin, Hon. David 41 

Mastbaum & Fleisher 247 

Mathues, William L 372 

McAleer, Hon. William 214 

McAllister, Joseph R. C 231 

McAvoy, Thomas B 342 

McAvoy, Walter M 250 

McCarter, William J 148 

McCoach, Capt. David 360 

McCoach, William 155 

McConkey, Hon. Edwin K 360 

McClure, Col. A. K 371 

McCurdy, George 142 

McDonald, Hon. M. E 346 

McElroy, Robert T 217 

McGowan, Dennis 225 

McHenry, Hon. John G 359 

Mcllhennv, Hon. Francis 212 



PAGE 

.McKinlcy, John J., Jr 209 

McLaughlin, Joseph H 347 

McXichol, Daniel J 145 

McXichol, Hon. James P 144, 253 

McXiecc, William, & Son 77 

Meals, Mayor Ezra S "4 

Mecleary, John 219 

Meirs, Richard Wain 161 

Meyers, Hon. Benjamin F 64 

Miller, Herman P 250 

Miller, Hon. William C 352 

Miles, James Lawrence 2,6^ 

Montgomery, Thomas Lynch 76 

Moon, Hon. Reuben 71 

Moore, Hugh C 165 

Moore, Hon. J. Hampton 146 

Moore, Robert J 99 

Morgan, Hon. J. Willard 317 

Morris, John F. 1 240 

Morrison, Col. James F 308 

Morrison, Hon. John W 162 

Mumma, Frank G 294 

Munyon, James Monroe, M.D 280 

-Murphy, John Francis 81 

Murphy, Hon. Robert S 36 

Murphy, Thomas E 263 

Mutchler, Hon. Howard 348 

:Mutual Republican Club of I'hila 182, 362 

Xelson, Thomas Talbot 129, 252 

Xewton, Mahlon W., & Green's Hotel... 200 

O'Brien. John M 348 

O'Brien, Joseph 301 

O'DonncU, Thomas 318 

O'Leary, Timothy 117 

Oliver. Hon. George 34 

Olmsted, Hon. Martin Edgar 62 

Orlady, Hon. George Boal 128 

Ostendorff's Cafe 316 

Owens, Hubley R., M.D 91 

Page, Harlan 266 

Page, S. Davis 322 

Palmer, Hon. A. Mitchell 335 

Palmer, John C 251 

Parker, George T 3°! 

Patterson, John M 19° 

Patterson, William .\ 167 

Patton, Col. Edward W 169 

Pearson, Enoch W 297 

Penny packer, Hon. Samuel W 37 



390 



Index. 



PAGB 

Penrose, Hon. Boies 32 

I'eoples Bros 137 

Persch, George A 306 

Pierie, George G 51 

Pollock, James 85 

Pomeroy, Albert Nevan 97 

Porter, George 356 

Porter, George D 264 

Poth, Frederick August 367 

Powers, John D 332 

Prettyman, Charles B 127 

I'ugh, Charles Edmund 319 

Raff, A. Raymond 320 

Rambo, Samuel Bass 103 

Reeder, Gen. Frank 237 

Reyburn, Hon. John E 38 

Reyburn, William Stuart 281 

Ripple, Col. Ezra H 325 

Riter, Hon. Frank M 258 

Robinson, Charles 275 

Robinson, Hon. John B 276 

Rodda, Frederick 205 

Rodgers, Hon. Elliot 281 

Roesch, George J 270 

Roma, F., & Bros 133 

Rook, Col. Charles .\le.\ander 78 

Rosenberg, Morris 102 

Rotan, Hon. Samuel P 75 

Rothermel, P. F., Jr 108 

Rowland, Hon. Miles C 265 

Ryan, Thomas J 59 

Sando, Hon. Michael Francis 187 

Scattergood, J. Henry 295 

Scott, Samuel B 290 

Seger, Charles 92 

Sellers, Arthur 164 

Serfass, Orrin 220 

Shephard, Hon. Jesse S 320 

Shern, Daniel J 293 

Shields, Hon. Moses, Jr 172 

Shoch, Harry loi 

Shoyer, Frederick J 99 

Smith, William S no 

Snowden, Hon. A. Louden, LL.D 141 

.Soulas, Charles W 152 

South, Thomas Winfield 155 

Spielberger, George W 201 

Sproul, Hon. William C 96 



PAGE 

Stackpolc, E. J 134 

Stegmair, George J 303 

Stevenson, Hon. Maxwell 69 

Stuart, Hon. Edwin S 35 

Sturmer, George Washington 227 

Sykes, Henry, M.D 337 

Sykes, Walter T 240 

Taylor, John 349 

The John Mawson Hair Cloth Company. 166 
The Twentieth Century Republican Club. 338 

The United Gas Improvement Co 194 

The West Philadelphia Republican Club. 56 
Thirty-si.xth Ward ^'oung Men's Repub- 
lican Club 192 

Thompson, Hon. J. Whittaker 223 

Thomson, Frank 363 

Thomson, Hon. Oscar E 311 

Thornton, John A 215 

Tobin, E. Tracy 123 

Tobin, Francis Tracy 361 

Toughill, James H 94 

Tower, Hon. Charlemagne 48 

Vale, Ruby R 272 

Van Rensselaer, Alexander 313 

Vare, Hon. William S 114 

Vodges, Charles E 256 

Vodges, Jesse T 151 

Wacker, William S 183 

Wagner, Frederick M 238 

Walter, Henry A 324 

Walton, Hon. Daniel S 262 

Walton, Hon. Henry F 87 

Walton. John M 89 

Wanner, J. Edward 210 

Warwick, Hon. Charles F 80 

Watres, Hon. Louis Arthur 178 

Weaver, Hon. John 346 

Weightman, William 365 

West, Charles 229 

Whitmer, William, & Sons 124 

Widdis, C. C, Jr 260 

Wiggins, John R 139 

Wilkins, William F 156 

Williams, Richard B 135 

Wilson, J. Clifford 303 

Wilson, Joseph R 119 

Wolf, Frederick 212 

Wolverton, Hon. Simon P 44 

Woodruff, Clinton Rogers 157 



Index. 



391 



I'AGK 

Woodward, James Fleming 242 

Wriglcy, Byron E 230 

Wright, Harry S 307 



P.VGB 

Vargcr, Samuel 1 141 

Young, George W 307. 362 

Young, Hon. James Kankin 321 



MISCELLANEOUS SKETCHES. 



.\ Look Back to the Cradle 5 

Old-Stylc Manner of Lobbying 36 

Francis Murphy Plucks a Brand from the 

Burning 42 

Why Senator Penrose Didn't Get Mar- 
ried 43 

.\ Joke at the Expense of David H. Lane. 46 
How a Politician gave the Lawyers an 

Idea 55 

Early Reform Days of Mr. Blankenburg. 59 
Mr. Singerly Orders Me to Run for City 

Councils 60 

The Double of Senator I^red. Dubois... 61 

-An Ode to the Editor 62 

Rutan Makes a Scene in the Senate 63 

Hon. William Flinn's Story 64 

Senator Flinn's Pony Stable 65 

How Revenge is Obtained in .Arkansaw. . 66 
Mr. Randall's Withering Sarcasm as to 

Cleveland 68 

A Little Inside History of the City Hall. 69 

.\n Eloquent Defense of the "Rickey".. 70 

*<^wo Big Pots at Harrisburg 71 

The War Records of Quay and McCIure. 72 

How Horace Fogcl Lost the Xaval Office. 73 

Dedicated to a Mug^vump 74 

Quay's Joke on Governor Hoyt ~y 

General Bingham .Suggests Edwin S. 

Stuart for Governor 80 

Lines Written in Opposition to the Over- 
head Trolley System for Philadelphia. 83 
The Death of the Hon. Samuel J. Ran- 
dall '. 84 

How Philadelphia got the Xews of the 

Maine 91 

A Story of John G. Carlisle and the 

Chicago Convention 92 

Quay's Story on Boies Penrose 92 

Rolling Up the Berks Majority 93 

Thought General Bingham Wanted his 

Hole 94 

Sage Advice from Simon Cameron 100 



Did the 1905 Plot Exist Before Hastings' 

Nomination ? 104 v^ 

The Vindication of Politicians 107 "^ 

E.xpericnces with .Senator Don Cameron 

and Ben. Butler 112 

How Rutan Adjourned the Slate Senate. 119 

Joe Xobre as the Boy Politician 121 

The Volunteer Choir 125 

How a City Editor Overrated Himself. . 130 

Ode to Assimbleymin Slater 131 

The Terrible Threat of the Late Colonel 

McCIure 136 

Richard Quay Could Have Succeeded His 

Father 137 

Had an Elephant on His Hands 139 

How Hughey Mackin Passed a Bill 140 

Lines Recalling John Malony, Esq 143 

.\ Gun that Kicked Leeds 146 

The Brewing Interests of Pennsylvania. . 149 
Raises the Ire of the Famous Tom Ochel- 

tree 151 

How the term "Speak Easy" Originated. 156 
Mayor Vaux's Hat and the Force Bill.. 157 

Old Customs in the Legislature 159 

.\ Reporter's Scheme that Failed 160 

".\nd the Next Day it Snowed" 171 

Knox, the Humorist, flakes Quay Roar. . 173 

Quay's Telegram to General Beaver 178 

Matt Quay Comes to Town 179 

.A Black Man who Couldn't be Bought.. . 184 
Quay goes into Battle with $40,000 

Strapped to Him 186 

How Fate Saved John Bardslcy 188 

Sheriff Connell's Lament 193 

The Very Fat Man Plus Grover Cleve- 
land 201 

.•\ Cameron Coup for the United States 

Senatorship 202 

.\nd the Joke was on Tom Stewart 205 

Tom Cooper's Kicking Gun 208 

.\ Contemplated Coup that Scared Quay. 211 



392 



Index. 



How the Troops Got to Susquehanna 

Depot 215 

How I Outwitted a Hated Rival 221 

The Floor Privilege Not Abused 224 

Senator Jim Rutan as an Angel 228 

Col. E. W. Patton Abroad 233 

Mayor Vaux Hears a Startling Confes- 
sion 236 

'-^ Name William H. Berry for State 

Treasurer 241 

The Boss and His Club 246 

A Wonderful Medicinal Artesian Well. 248 
Quay Picks Knox for his Successor.... 255 

How Penrose Missed the Mayoralty 258 

High License and How it Came About . . 266 
The Campaign of 1878-1888, which made 
Matthew Stanley Quay Famous as a 

Political Napoleon 2S2 

A Bright Piece of Repartee 300 

How Bryan's Defeat in 1908 can be 
Traced to Pennsylvania 304 



PAGE 

:Mr. Randall's Story of the Electoral Com- 
mission 315 

Queer Things About the Supreme Court. 325 

ligjv John P. Elkin was Turned Down . . 327 

'''The Making of Governor Pennypacker. . 328 

I am Called a Liar in the U. S. Senate. 334 

A Boom that Bursted 336 

Governor Pattison's One Speech 337 

A Story of the Johnstown Flood 339 

How Lewis C. Cassidy was Surprised.. 341 

.\ Wonderful Tree 345 

The Attempted Bribery of Representative 

Schrink 347 

Quay and Hon. Charles S. Wolf Recon- 
ciled 351 

Quay Burns the Record of the Penny- 
packer Campaign 354 

Graft in School-house Naming 355 

MHow the Wanamaker-Quay Feud Began. 357 

How Chris. Magee Made Good 359 

Sam. Hudson's Lecture upon "Columbus 
as I Knew Him" 373 







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